A former blind child actor, who also had cerebral palsy, sadly died in "a self-contained Malibu cottage" after his mother was unable to put out a wildfire "because the water was switched off"
09:51, 11 Jan 2025Updated 09:59, 11 Jan 2025
A former child star has sadly died due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
Rory Callum Sykes was reportedly trapped inside a self-contained cottage in Malibu when it caught fire. Rory was just 32-years-old.
His mother Shelley has spoken out about her son after his untimely passing. She told 10 News: "I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off.
"When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground. He will be incredibly missed."
Shelley was reportedly forced to drive a quarter of a mile in search for help for her son as she could not get through to 911 on the phone. Unfortunately, firefighters had the awful job of informing Shelley that her son had died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The actor was blind from birth and had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which his mother explained meant the star had "overcome so much" in his life, including "therapies to regain his sight and to be able to learn how to walk."
Sykes was known as a former child actor who hosted the British RTV show Kiddy Kapers back in 1998. The New York Post has reported that his death is not part of the official death toll caused by the LA fires.
Reports say that at least 11 other people have last their lives due to the raging flames that have torn through Los Angeles for a number of days now. Thousands of homes have been burned to the ground, with civilians and celebrities alike taking to social media to share terrifying videos of the aftermath.
Some people have even posted clips of the fires from inside their houses. The largest fire of the six, Palisades, has destroyed over 5000 buildings so far.
A bushfire is said to have started the horrifying event on Tuesday [7 January]. Authorities have made their evacuation warnings mandatory as fires continue to blaze in Hollywood Hills and the surrounding areas.
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