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Former child actor Rory Callum Sykes died Wednesday, Jan. 8, in a fire in Palisades, according to a statement from his mother, Shelley Sykes. He was 32 years old.
Rory, an Australian actor who was born blind and has cerebral palsy, starred in a British television show “Kiddy Capers.” In addition to working in front of the cameras, Rory was also a motivational speaker and helped found the Happy Charity with his mom.
Sykes tried to evacuate their Malibu home when Palisade fire caught fire, only to have difficulty reaching emergency services due to limited resources, including electricity.
Former child star Rory Callum Sykes has died aged 32. (X/Shelley Sykes)
“He was my child and he died needlessly,” Sykes said Australia’s top 10 news stories.
Sykes said her son lived in a boarding house on the family’s 17-acre Malibu Canyon estate. As the Palisades Fire engulfed the community, it had no form of communication with the outside world.
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“Guess what didn’t work? 911 – all the phone lines were down,” she said. “He said, ‘Mom, leave me,’ and no mom can leave her child. I have a broken arm; I couldn’t pick him up. I couldn’t move him.”
In an attempt to evacuate, she drove to her local fire station for help, only to be told they had “no water.”
I said, ‘Oh my God, my son is locked in his room,'” Sykes recalled. – When the firemen brought me back, his cottage had burned to the ground.
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British-born Sykes moved to Australia as a child. He wrote a book, “Callum’s Medicine”, which detailed his determination to one day not only walk, but also see.
Firefighters watch as water falls on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)
“He died of carbon monoxide poisoning, not burning,” Sykes said she was told by firefighters. “I didn’t want any pain for my child.”
Sykes is considering a class-action lawsuit and is staying put for now.
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“I’m not going to budge,” Sykes said. “It’s going to be a place, a special place for Rory and I, and we’re going to make it even more beautiful than it already is.”
An air tanker landed on the Palisades Fire. (Brian van der Brug/Getty Images)
A home is engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area on January 8, 2025. (Josh Edelson/Getty Images)
The Directorate for Forestry and Fire Protection reported on Sunday that Palisade fire it burned 23,713 hectares and is now 11% contained. Since the fire broke out on Tuesday, January 7, five deaths have been reported.
Less than 30 miles away, the Eaton Fire, which also ignited Jan. 7 in Altadena, has burned 14,117 acres and is now 27% contained. Eleven deaths have been confirmed.
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