Police in New York state say the man who lured firefighters to their deaths in a blaze of gunfire left a note saying he wanted to burn down the neighbourhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people."

Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said the man's sister had not yet been found.

He said 62-year-old ex-convict William Spengler armed himself with three weapons and set his house on fire to lure first responders into a death trap.

Two firefighters were shot dead and two others are treated in hospital.

Spengler killed himself as seven houses burned around him yesterday.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.