A DISTRAUGHT single mother had to be held back as she watched her four sons perish inside a raging house fire.
The Sun reports that Tina Brazil, from Lake Ozark, Missouri, was out for the evening with her boyfriend when the blaze started at 1am on Thursday morning.
She had left her 14-year-old son Tyler Otto in charge of babysitting his younger brothers when tragedy struck.
When she arrived home and saw the blaze she reportedly went “berserk” and had to be restrained by firefighters.
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The emergency workers told Ms Brazil that the fire was too dangerous as she shouted “My children! My kids! My kids!” reports The Kansas City Star.
Her boyfriend Mike Andrews reportedly tried to enter the house but was also restrained by five firemen.
The four kids, Tyler, Carson Otto, eight, Max Otto, five, and Levi Otto, four, died along with two pets inside the burning building.
According to the fire department, an ember from a nearby barbecue may have been responsible for igniting the fire which is believed to have started on the house’s facade.
Officials believe the fire went unnoticed for an undetermined period adding that winds off the local lake would have contributed to the fire spreading.
There is still no confirmation whether there were any smoke detectors in the house.
Neighbour Eddie Helt alerted authorities to the fire when she smelt smoke at 1am.
Mr Helt said he tried to enter the house but was forced back due to the intense heat.
He said: “There was nothing you could do.”
When firefighters arrived shortly after the back of the building was near collapse and the blaze was reportedly too intense for crews to search the property.
Police said neither Ms Brazil or her boyfriend will face any charges, reports Fox2Now.
Ms Brazil and the boys’ father Travis Otto were divorced although the children did often spend weekends with their dad in Westphalia, Missouri.
On Thursday evening, the grieving mother posted heartbreaking tributes to her four boys on social media.
She wrote: “My babies. I don’t have any words to say how we are all feeling ...
“Tyler was my Tyler-man. Soccer and the biggest do-gooder heart I’ve ever seen. Cason bug was my smarty pants early talker, artist and avid reader.
“Monster Max popped off with some of the funniest things ever at the most random moments and was a crazy awesome dancer and had the biggest imagination I’ve ever seen.
“Levi was my little nugget who would say, “Mommy, I love you, Mommy,” at least 50 times a day.”
This article originally appeared in The Sun and is republished here with permission