Cumberland County family still recovering after fire killed 9-year-old child

The parents and sister of a Cumberland County boy killed in a fire last week are still recovering both from the injuries sustained in the blaze and the loss of a child who "brought so much love and joy" into their lives, a family member said.

Thomas James Miller, 9, died Feb. 20 in a fire caused by faulty wiring that started about midnight in the bedroom he shared with his sister, Hannah, on Dasher Lane, according to Cumberland Road Fire Chief Steven Parrish said. NOTE

The chief said that after discovering the fire, Thomas and his sister Hannah woke their father who was asleep on the couch and were searching for their mother when the children were separated.

Thomas' sister and father escaped and firefighters rescued his mother. The child's body was found in the kitchen. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Parrish said.

Kristy Miller said Friday that her uncle and Thomas' father, James Miller, and mother, Terrilyn, were recovering at a hospital in Chapel Hill. Thomas' father sustained smoke inhalation and burns on his hands from attempts to save his son, Kristy Miller said. She said Terrilynn suffered smoke inhalation, which is complicated by a preexisting lung condition.

Miller said her uncle is wracked with guilt over the loss of his child.

"He keeps blaming himself for Tommy," she said. "He heard him take his last breath."

Hannah, Thomas' 16-year-old sister, who is a student at Douglas Byrd High School, has been released from the hospital and is staying with her aunt, Kristy Miller's mother.

Related: Child killed, three others injured in Cumberland County house fire

'Had a big heart'

Miller said that Thomas, a student at Cumberland Mills Elementary School, was "a character" and had a great sense of humor.

"A keep-the-joke-going type of guy," she said. "He was very caring and had a big heart."

According to his obituary, the fourth grader loved to race his remote-controlled cars and fly his RC Drone. He was a Broncos fan, loved the color red and he loved seafood, especially crab legs.

"He loved to tell jokes and make others laugh and he was known for his happy spirit," the obituary said. "His parents were so blessed to have him as their son, to know Tommy was to love him."

Miller said Hannah and Thomas were inseparable and that he adored his big sister.

"She was the big sister, but she wanted to be mom," Miller said. "She always wanted to help him. He leaned on her."

Related: 9-year-old boy was searching for his mom when he died in Cumberland County house fire

Miller created a GoFundMe for her uncle and his family. She said she hopes to get enough money to help with funeral costs, cost of living and replacing all the items lost in the fire.

According to Miller, her uncle said he would like to continue to live on Dasher Lane in another mobile home but is worried about the bad memories the fire evokes. When the family moved their home there more than 10 years ago, it was the first in the mobile home park, she said.

"They need all the help they can get," Miller said. "Every penny is going to them."

As of Tuesday, the account had raised more than $12,000.

"I knew some people would want to help but I had no clue it would be this many people," Miller said.

Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Thomas Miller's family still recovering in hospital Friday after fire