Firefighters arrived at the apartment complex around 1:30 a.m. in the 6400 block of Sierra Blanca Drive and found flames coming from one of the units.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office reported that a 19-year-old woman was babysitting her relative, Gio Lyles. She allegedly told investigators that she left the apartment to go to the store while Gio was sleeping, but when she got back, she saw heavy smoke coming from the apartment.
Fire officials said the fire started in the kitchen on the stove.
Gio was pronounced dead at Texas Children's Hospital West. The woman was taken to Ben Taub Hospital for smoke inhalation.