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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 blind and cerebral palsy and has appeared in British television shows “Kiddy Capers.” In addition to his work in front of the camera, Rory works as a motivational speaker and helped found Joy Charity with his mom.
Sykes was trying to evacuate their Malibu home when fence fire A fire broke out, but emergency services were difficult to restore 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 told reporters. Australia’s Top 10 News.
Sykes said her son was staying in a guesthouse 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 a local fire station to seek 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 to the ground.” “
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British-born Sykes moved to Australia as a child. He wrote a book, “Callum’s Cure” This detailed his determination to not only walk one day, but to see it.
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,” Sykes said. “This will be a place, a special place for Rory and me, and we will make it even more beautiful than it already is.”
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 Edelson/Getty Images)
The Ministry of Forestry and Fire Protection reported on Sunday that fence fire 23,713 acres burned and 11% contained. 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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