Blanca Machon believed that her 6-year-old boy was still inside the apartment Sunday morning, relatives said.
Machon, 45, was burned to death.
``My aunt went back inside, she didn't listen to her husband,'' said Johnny Casimiro, Machon's 11-year-old nephew. ``She thought her son was still inside, but he was already out.''
He said he didn't know what could have sparked the fire that left him and five family members homeless. He awoke when he began breathing smoke, called for his brother and ran outside.
Relatives attempted to comfort the boy who watched helplessly as his aunt ran into the flames.
``She was burning,'' he said, crying.
Eight units of the Ivy Club Apartments were destroyed in the blaze, which took 70 firefighters more than an hour to contain, said Houston Fire Department Capt. Gilbert Bennett.
He said the blaze that began about 7:30 a.m. spread quickly through the 12-unit, two-story building. Dozens of people were forced to evacuate their apartments. The blaze's cause remained under investigation.
Red Cross volunteers said they would help the fire victims find temporary housing.
