Romello Winters, 4 and Christian Griffen, 7, appeared to have been alone in their apartment for several hours before firefighters responded to a call early New Year's Day at the two-story wood frame building.
The blaze was brought under control in about a half-hour, and the boys died later at a hospital. The cause of the fire had not been determined.
Aundria Jones, 29, told police she left the boys alone so she could go out to celebrate the New Year, police said in a statement. She arrived home after police had been called.
She was charged with two counts of reckless homicide and jailed on $100,000 bond. Karinbumk Jayaraman, who was listed by the Shelby County General Sessions clerk's office as her attorney, did not immediately return a message Wednesday morning seeking comment.
