NC autistic boy dies after setting Christmas tree on fire

A teenage autistic boy recently died after he got hold of a lighter and set his family's Christmas tree on fire in North Carolina. The fire quickly spread to the rest of the house, devouring it in flames.

Brenda Contreras Juarez, 30, has been left heartbroken after her son Brandon passed away as a consequence of the incident. The boy and a five-year-old girl were apparently being watched over by a caregiver when the disaster took place, according to the Daily Mail.

Family members said that the autistic boy apparently got hold of a lighter and set the Christmas tree on fire, which spread throughout the entire house. While the caregiver and the five-year-old were able to escape the house, Brandon apparently got trapped in the midst of the flames and died as a result.

The caregiver who was tasked with watching over the boy suffered minor injuries in her efforts to save Brandon, and she is reported to be recovering in the hospital. The family lost all of their belongings in the tragic fire.

"It's been three days of tortures … I miss him so much, and I am dying of sadness," the boy's mother said.

"We lost all the material things … The most difficult thing is that we can't recover what hurts us the most," another family member said.

Following the tragedy, the family set up a GoFundMe page meant to help raise money for the funeral costs. At the time of this report, the family has raised $7,709, exceeding its $5,000 goal.

"On behalf of Family Contreras Juarez, we are making this page to whomever would like to kindly donate in memory of Brandon Gonzalez, since he lost his life in a house fire," the page reads.

"They lost everything, their home, and 13- year-old Brandon's life. We ask for your help for what you can for funeral costs and to build a new home."

Juarez went on to say that her son "always made me happy with his smile. He was my world."

Neighbor Latonya Park shared with WLTX: "It makes me very very sad. I instantly started praying when I came out here. I was just praying for comfort. [I was] just thinking when the mom pulled up to see her house on fire, knowing that her child was in there. It's just a sad, sad situation."

"I heard fire trucks coming, and I wanted to go check outside to see what happened. The first thing I saw was the house on fire; it was really bad," a second neighbor, Jazmin Verde, said.

"She does talk to them a lot. She said they are a nice family and they have nice kids."

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