Two Nongoma children and their grandmother burnt to death on Saturday night when a candle fell over, Northern KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Captain Vusi Mbatha said the 80-year-old woman and two girls, aged two and five, were asleep in a hut in the Nongoma area at the time.

"They used a candle to keep warm but it fell over and the hut caught alight.

"All three were burnt beyond recognition," he said.

Mbatha said no foul play was suspected.

Sapa