The child who was burnt to death in a fire in Taman Gemilang here early Wednesday morning was the foster grandson of a popular economy rice stall operator in Dengkil.

In the fire which occurred at about 4 am involving three single-storey terrace houses, the charred remains of Tiew Heng Kai, four, was found lying in a prone position on a mattress in a room.

His foster sister Tiew Kah Ming, five, was rescued by neighbours.

Mohamed Hamzah Ahmad Kutty, who was awakened by thick smoke and explosions from a neighbour's house, said neighbours tried to rescue the two children by prising the front door grille.

"The girl was seen running desperately around the house trying to find her way out. Her brother was believed to be still asleep in the middle room.

"It was a heartbreaking to see the little girl crying and begging us to rescue her brother who was still in the house," he said.

"We tried to get into the house but the roof began to collapse and several explosions were heard," he told Bernama when met at the scene.

When the incident occurred, the victim's parents were not home. His foster father Soon Tiew Cheong, in his 30s, was out to buy food while his foster mother had returned to Indonesia to visit her sick father.

South Selangor Zone Fire and Rescue Department chief Abu Bakar Abd Kadir said the fire was believed to have started from the kitchen of the victim's house.

The house and a Perodua Kenari car were completely ruined while the houses on the left and right were over 50 per cent destroyed, he added.

The victim's foster grandfather Tiew Ng Ngu, 66, who lived nearby, said the two children would usually stay in his house when his daughter-in-law went back to Indonesia.

"My son took them home yesterday as he did not want to trouble my wife ...I never expected my grandson to go in such a tragic way," he said. -- Bernama