LEWISTOWN, PA — A late-night house fire in Pennsylvania that killed a 44-year-old woman and critically injured two others is being investigated as a homicide after authorities said the blaze was intentionally set by a man whose romantic advances had been rejected.

According to the Lewistown Police Department, emergency crews were dispatched to the 200 block of Bratton Avenue around 11:55 p.m. Wednesday after reports of a structure fire with people trapped inside.

When officers arrived, multiple residents told police the fire had been deliberately set and warned that several occupants were still inside the burning home, according to investigators.

The Mifflin County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 44-year-old Brandy Phillippe of Lewistown. Officials said Phillippe attempted to escape during the fire but was unable to get out. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner ruled her cause of death as smoke inhalation and the manner of death as homicide due to arson, according to updates provided by the coroner’s office and reported by WGAL and Fox 43.

Authorities also clarified that Phillippe was not the woman involved in the confrontation that allegedly led to the fire.

Police said one male resident suffered severe facial injuries after jumping from a second-floor window to escape the flames. He was later flown to a burn trauma center for burns to his throat and other internal injuries. Before being transported, the man told officers his girlfriend was still inside the house, according to investigators.

Officers then spotted a woman hanging from a second-floor window as flames and thick smoke engulfed the home. According to police, the woman did not jump despite people outside yelling for her to do so. Investigators believe she may have lost consciousness from smoke inhalation before falling onto the concrete sidewalk below. She suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a trauma center.

Neighbor Patty Snyder told WGAL she woke up around midnight to commotion outside before seeing flames shooting from the house.

“I could see orange flames coming out the kitchen window. And they were really high,” Snyder said. “I saw, people standing outside the, the door there. And then a few minutes later I heard, someone yell, ‘Jump! Jump!’ The, I guess men were saying for someone to jump there.”

Snyder also told the station that several cats living in and around the residence did not survive the fire.

“It’s devastating,” she said. “I just say my prayers for them.”

Investigators identified 40-year-old Robert Shane Zimmerman of Lewistown as a suspect after witnesses allegedly placed him at the home shortly before the fire started.

According to police, witnesses said Zimmerman had gone to the residence to profess his love for a woman who lived in the attic of the home. After being rejected, Zimmerman allegedly became upset and began setting items on fire on the first floor.

Witnesses also reportedly told police they heard Zimmerman admit to starting the blaze and later saw him watching the burning house from a nearby alley. Investigators said surveillance footage appeared to corroborate witness accounts.

Police later located Zimmerman at a boarding home on East Third Street and detained him on an unrelated outstanding warrant. Officers reported that he smelled strongly of ash and smoke when taken into custody.

According to investigators, Zimmerman also admitted to ingesting fentanyl and began showing signs of an opioid overdose while in police custody. He was transported to Geisinger Lewistown Hospital for treatment before later being medically cleared and taken to the Lewistown Police Department for questioning.

Police said the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal officially determined the blaze was an act of arson during the investigation.

During questioning, Zimmerman allegedly made “several incriminating statements,” according to police. Investigators said he claimed he could not remember the exact moment the fire started but was able to describe events immediately before and after it began.

“Zimmerman was informed that an occupant of the residence died as a result of the fire and he had a strong emotional response to this,” the Lewistown Police Department stated in court documents cited by WJAC.

Zimmerman was transported to the Mifflin County Correctional Facility on the outstanding warrant and a state parole detainer. Police said additional charges connected to the fire, death and injuries were expected to be filed as the investigation continues.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Ms. Phillippe’s family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss,” the Mifflin County Coroner’s Office said in a statement reported by WJAC.