Sarah Holland, who ran the orphanage in eNgogo outside Newcastle where 11 people, eight of them children, burnt to death, gathered the children in a room to escape the flames then helped them out the only window without burglar bars.

Mfuneni Kubheka (55) who was at the scene told The Mercury newspaper that this was the most horrific sight he had ever seen.

Kubheka said on his arrival at the orphanage, he found two children running around hysterically with cries of help being heard from every direction.

Kubheka helped Holland rescue nine children from the fire. When the ninth child came out, Holland collapsed and died apparently of smoke inhalation, The Mercury reported.

"Maybe it is better that she [Sarah Holland] went this way because the thought of being unable to save the other children would have probably killed her," the paper reported Holland's daughter, Diane Peterson, as saying.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated but it is believed to have started in the lounge of the house.

Sniffer dogs were brought to the scene to search for remains but nothing was found by Tuesday night, the Mercury reported.

MECs set to visit

KwaZulu-Natal social development and health MECs will visit the orphanage.

"The MEC for social development [Meshack Radebe] will be at the orphanage today at 1pm,? said Radebe's spokesman Mandla Ngema.

Radebe will be accompanied by KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo.

On Tuesday, the KwaZulu-Natal department of social development said 15 people had burnt to death in the fire at the Hope in Christ Home at around 6am.

Death toll changes

"Yesterday details were sketchy. We can confirm today that 11 people burnt to death not 15," Ngema said on Wednesday.

Nine children were hospitalised.

Superintendent Jay Naicker said police were called to the orphanage around 6am on Tuesday.

He said fire investigators from Pretoria had been called to investigate the cause of fire.

The Mercury reported that one of the victims was a three-week-old baby.