A TODDLER has died in a horror blaze after her family's Christmas tree caught fire.

       Two-year-old Ginevra Gioia Manganello's desperate mum was beaten back by the flames at the family's home in Sicily as she tried to rescue her daughter.

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       Ginevra Gioia Manganello died in a fire at her home in Sicily Credit: Newsflash 3

       A short circuit is believed to have set fire to a Christmas tree Credit: Newsflash

       Little Ginevra was sleeping in a bed on the top floor of her family’s home when the fire broke out at around 8pm.

       Her mother and her aunt were on the ground floor of the house in the historic centre of the town of Palma di Montechiaro.

       As soon as they realised what was happening, they immediately tried to reach her.

       But tragically they were beaten back by tall flames and were unable to rescue Ginerva.

       By the time firefighters had managed to tackle the flames and smoke, there was nothing that could be done to save her.

       Harrowing scenes reportedly unfolded in front of the building, with family members and friends trying to support the child's distraught mother.

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       Ginevra leaves behind her two parents, who have not been named, and five siblings after Tuesday evening’s tragedy.

       Last week, nine people died after a building collapsed in the town of Ravanusa following a gas explosion, also in the province of Agrigento.

       "It is a terrible moment," Palma di Montechiaro mayor Stefano Castellino, told local media

       "We have just had the events in Ravanusa, and now we are here mourning a new victim."

       It is currently believed that the fire started as a result of an electrical short circuit in the Christmas tree.

       It then spread to the rest of the apartment in the three-storey building.

       Firefighters are also examining the possibility it was caused by a malfunctioning stove.

       The province of Agrigento public prosecutor's office, led by Luigi Patronaggio, has opened an investigation into the fire.

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       Emergency services surveying the aftermath of the tragedy Credit: Newsflash