LEWISTOWN — Authorities have charged a Lewistown man after a fire that killed one woman and seriously injured two others was intentionally set late Wednesday night in Lewistown Borough.

Emergency crews responded to a residential fire at 208 Bratton Avenue at 11:55 p.m. Wednesday, according to Lewistown police and the Mifflin County Coroner’s Office.

On Friday, Mifflin County Coroner Andrea Alcalde identified the victim as Brandy Phillippe, 44, of Lewistown. Preliminary findings indicate Phillippe attempted to escape the residence during the fire but was unable to do so. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner’s office said an autopsy is scheduled for Saturday at Mount Nittany Medical Center to determine the exact cause of death. The office is investigating Phillippe’s death as a homicide after the fire was ruled arson by Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal Steven Griffith.

Police said multiple witnesses immediately told officers the blaze was believed to be intentionally set and that people were trapped inside the home.

According to investigators, a man escaped the burning structure by jumping from a second-story window, suffering serious facial injuries and suspected internal burns to his throat. He was flown to a burn trauma center for treatment.

Officers also encountered a woman hanging from a second-floor window while flames and heavy smoke engulfed portions of the residence. Police said the woman refused to jump and is believed to have lost consciousness from smoke inhalation before falling onto a concrete sidewalk below. She sustained serious injuries and was flown to a trauma center.

Police identified Robert Shane Zimmerman, 40, of Lewistown, as a suspect after interviewing witnesses at the scene.

According to court documents, witnesses reported Zimmerman had been at the residence shortly before the fire and became upset after a woman living there rejected his romantic advances. Investigators alleged Zimmerman began setting items on fire on the first floor of the residence.

Witnesses also reported hearing Zimmerman admit to starting the blaze and seeing him watching the fire from a nearby alley as the home burned. Police said surveillance footage appeared to corroborate those accounts.

Lewistown police detectives, assisted by Mifflin County Regional Police, later located Zimmerman at a boarding house on East Third Street. Officers reported he smelled of ash and smoke when taken into custody.

Authorities said Zimmerman told officers he had ingested fentanyl and displayed signs of an opioid overdose. He was transported to Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital for treatment before being medically cleared and returned to the police department for questioning.

During questioning, police said Zimmerman made several incriminating statements regarding the fire, although he claimed he could not recall the exact moment the blaze started.

Zimmerman was lodged in the Mifflin County Correctional Facility on an outstanding warrant and a state parole detainer. Police said charges including arson have been filed in connection with the fire, death and injuries.

Officials said the home’s owner had been subletting rooms to several occupants at the time of the fire.

The investigation remains ongoing.