A baby boy and his sister died in a horror house fire as their single mother went to work overnight so she could afford to feed them.

The pair died when an overheating fan set fire to a hammock, which dropped onto the mattress where the one-year-old was sleeping.

Firefighters say he was burned alive at the home in Tururu, Brazil, on 5th January.

His three-year-old sister was rescued with burns to 95 per cent of her body.

She was rushed to hospital by paramedics but died later from her injuries.

The children’s grieving uncle, Valdeci Silva, said he saw fire at about 4.30am.

He told local media: “I immediately panicked, I needed to get the two children out as soon as it was catching fire. I ran and broke down the door, I kicked it.

“The first thing I did when I entered the house was run to put out the fire.”

He said it was pitch black at the time, adding: “There was only the glare of the flames.”

Valdeci managed to put out the blaze, but by that point, his baby nephew was already dead.

The children’s mother had gone to work in nearby Umirim at the time of the blaze.

Valdeci told local media that she had to work on weekends to earn enough for food for the family.

According to the uncle, the children’s father walked out on the family not long ago.

Firefighters investigating the blaze have identified a short-circuiting fan as the prime suspect.

Valdeci told local media: “The outlet must have been very hot, caught fire, spread to the hammock and the hammock fell on top of the mattress.”

Police in Itapipoca are investigating the case.