One dead, others injured in Lewistown fire now being investigated as suspected arson

BY BRIAN CARSON

LEWISTOWN — The fatal Bratton Avenue house fire that killed one person and injured several others is now believed to have been intentionally set, according to a CBS 21 report citing a Lewistown Police Department source familiar with the investigation.

Robert Zimmerman, 40, has been identified as a person of interest in the arson investigation and has been detained on an unrelated warrant, according to the report. Charges were expected to be filed Friday in connection with the fire, but no formal charges had been reported as filed as of early Friday morning.

Crews were called late Wednesday night to a single-family home in the 200 block of Bratton Avenue in Lewistown Borough after reports of a working house fire with multiple people trapped. One person died, one person suffered severe injuries, and others were injured, according to previous reports from emergency officials and City Hook & Ladder #14.

According to CBS 21, a police source said investigators believe Zimmerman had been at the home before the fire to profess his love to a woman who lived there. After the woman rejected him, Zimmerman allegedly became upset and began setting several items on fire on the first floor of the home, the report said.

The report also said witnesses told police Zimmerman made admissions about starting the fire. Zimmerman was allegedly seen in a nearby alley watching the home burn, according to the CBS 21 report.

The identity of the person who died has not yet been released. Earlier reporting said the victim had been identified only as a female, and an autopsy was expected Saturday. The conditions of the injured also had not been released.

The Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. The Mifflin County Coroner’s Office has confirmed it responded to the scene and said additional information, including the victim’s identity, would be released later.

Editor’s note: Zimmerman had not been formally charged in the latest available report. The allegations should be attributed to police sources and reporting until charges or court documents are filed.