Former child actor Rory Callum Sykes died in a Palisades fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, his mother Shelley Sykes said. He is 32 years old.
Rory is an Australian actor who was born with blindness and cerebral palsy and starred in the British TV show “Kiddy Kapers”. In addition to his work in front of the camera, Rory works as a motivational speaker and helped found Joy Charity with his mom.
When the Palisades Fire broke out, Sykes tried to evacuate his Malibu home, but limited resources like electricity made it difficult to get emergency services.
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Former child star Rory Callum Sykes has died aged 32. (X/Shelley Sykes)
“He was my child and he died needlessly,” Sykes told Australia’s First News.
Sykes said her son was staying in a guest house on the family’s 17-acre Malibu Canyon property. When the Palisades Fire struck the community, she lost any form of contact with the outside world.
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“Guess what’s not working? 911 — all the phone lines are down,” she said. “He said, ‘Mom, leave me,’ and no mother can leave their child. My arm was broken; I couldn’t lift him. I couldn’t move him.”
To evacuate, she drove to the local fire station for help but was told they had “no water.”
“I said, ‘Oh my God, my son is locked in his room,'” Sykes recalled. “When the fire department brought me back, his cabin was burned down. “
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British-born Sykes moved to Australia as a child. He wrote a book, “Callum’s Treatment,” detailing his determination to one day not only walk, but also see.
Firefighters watch as water is poured onto the Mandeville Canyon Palisades Fire on Saturday, January 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)
Sykes said firefighters told her: “He died of carbon monoxide poisoning, not burning.” “I didn’t want my child to suffer in any way.”
Sykes is considering filing a class-action lawsuit and staying put for now.
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“I’m not moving,” Sikes said. “This will be a place, a special place for Rory and me, and we will make it even more beautiful than it is now.”
An air tanker lands on the Palisades Fire. (Brian Vanderbrugg/Getty Images)
On January 8, 2025, the Eaton Fire broke out in the Altadena area and a house was engulfed in flames. (Josh Adelson/Getty Images)
The Palisades Fire, which has burned 23,713 acres, is 11 percent contained, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported Sunday. Five people have died since the fire broke out on Tuesday, January 7.
The Eaton Fire, less than 30 miles away, also ignited in Altadena on January 7, burning 14,117 acres and currently 27% burned. Eleven people have been confirmed dead.
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