Autistic boy Brandon Gonzales, 13, accidentally kills himself after getting hold of lighter and setting his family’s Christmas tree on fire
A 13-year-old autistic boy tragically died after he got hold of a lighter and set fire to the Christmas tree in his family's North Carolina home.
Brenda Contreras Juarez, 30, is heartbroken after the death of her son Brandon on Tuesday.
A caregiver was caring for the teenager, who lived with autism, and a five-year-old girl at the time of the disaster at 6.30pm. myfox8 reported.
Family members said he somehow got his hands on a lighter and set their family's Christmas tree on fire, causing the fire to quickly spread through the house.
The caregiver and the little girl managed to escape the catastrophe, but Brandon was trapped in the flames and, despite rescue efforts by his caregiver, died in the fire.
Brandon, a 13-year-old autistic boy (pictured), tragically died after setting fire to the Christmas tree at his family's home in North Carolina after obtaining a lighter
The family lost everything in the fire, but the most devastating loss of all was that of Brandon, the eldest of his siblings
Brenda Contreras Juarez, 30 (pictured), is heartbroken after her son Brandon died in a house fire on Tuesday
His caregiver suffered minor injuries from her attempts to save Brandon's life – she is now recovering in hospital.
The family lost everything in the fire, but the most devastating loss of all was that of Brandon, the eldest of his siblings.
“It's been three days of torture… I miss him so much, and I'm dying of sorrow,” said his grief-stricken mother.
“We lost all the material things… The hardest part is that we can't restore what hurts us the most,” Brenda's aunt Noelia Juarez added.
The house where Brenda lived alone with her three children, located on Fanning Pointe Lane, was completely destroyed by the fire.
Family members have one GoFundMe page to raise money to help with funeral costs β so far it has raised $5,255.
βOn behalf of the Contreras Juarez family, we are creating this page for anyone who would like to make a donation in memory of Brandon Gonzalez as he died in a house fire,β Noelia Juarez wrote on the page.
'They lost everything, their home and the life of thirteen-year-old Brandon. We are asking for your help in whatever you can for funeral expenses and building a new home.β
Juarez said, βHe always made me happy with his smile. He was my world.'
It was especially heartbreaking for the family to lose the boy over the holidays, just weeks before Brandon's birthday.
Family members said he somehow got his hands on a lighter and set their family's Christmas tree on fire, causing the fire to quickly spread through the house.
The autistic teenager was being cared for by a caregiver along with another five-year-old girl at the time of the disaster. They both managed to escape
Family members have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral costs. So far this has raised $5,255
Neighbors of the family witnessed the disaster and reported that it was the caregiver, a grandmother, and that she and her grandchild managed to escape the fire.
'It makes me very sad. I started praying as soon as I came here. I just prayed for comfort. (I was) just thinking when the mother pulled up and saw her house on fire, knowing her child was in there. It's just a sad, sad situation,β said neighbor Latonya Park WLTX.
'I heard fire trucks coming and I wanted to go outside to see what had happened. The first thing I saw was the house on fire; it was really bad,β said neighbor Jazmin Verde.
'She talks to them a lot. She said they are a nice family and they have nice kids,β Verde continued.