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Man sets house on fire, shoots at firefighters in Springfield, police say

Police believe the man set the fire and then began shooting at firefighters when they showed up.

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) - Authorities say a 60-year-old man in Springfield ambushed firefighters who showed up to put out a blaze at a house in a residential neighborhood before he turned the gun on himself.

Springfield police Lt. Scott McKee tells The Register Guard Wednesday that police believe the man set the fire and then began shooting at firefighters when they showed up.

McKee says the suspect had the firefighters pinned down behind their truck as the blaze spread to three other homes.

A police officer who was under fire and hiding behind a car had to be rescued by an armored vehicle.

Three homes were destroyed and a fourth damaged.

No residents were hurt.

It's not immediately clear if the man lived in one of the houses that burned.

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