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Former Australian child actor Rory Sykes killed in Los Angeles wildfires: Report
Los Angeles wildfires: The fire reportedly began when embers from the deadly blaze landed on a Malibu cottage roof, trapping Rory Sykes inside.
A blind Australian former child actor, Rory Callum Sykes, was killed when flames from the Palisades Fire, one of the massive wildfires in California, engulfed his family’s Malibu cottage, with his mother alleging that water supplies ran out, The New York Post reported.
Sykes, 32, who lived with cerebral palsy and appeared in a few episodes of the British TV show Kiddy Kapers hosted by his mother, author Shelley Sykes, died on the family’s 17-acre estate on January 8.
“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son to the Malibu fires yesterday,” Shelley Sykes shared on X.
“He overcame so much with surgeries & therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk. Despite the pain, he still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica,” she added.
Born blind and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Rory had worked to overcome immense challenges throughout his life.
The fire reportedly began when embers from the deadly blaze landed on the cottage roof, trapping Rory inside, as per 10 News First.
Shelley explained that she tried to rescue her son from the burning building but was unable to due to an injury. Rory’s death is not yet included in the 11 fire-related fatalities reported by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner, as his remains have not been recovered, the outlet added.
Latest updates on Los Angeles fires
Six wildfires have ravaged Los Angeles County since Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and damaging or destroying 10,000 structures. Officials anticipate these numbers will rise as firefighters gain access to search affected areas.
The Palisades Fire, reported to be stabilising, took a new turn on Friday night, leading to fresh evacuation orders for Brentwood and parts of the San Fernando Valley foothills.
Firefighters had earlier made progress on containing both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire. The Palisades Fire was reported 8% contained, and the Eaton Fire was 3% contained after days of efforts from hundreds of firefighters working on the ground and from the air. Until Friday, Cal Fire listed both fires as 0% contained.
Combined, the two fires have scorched 35,000 acres, equivalent to 54 square miles—2.5 times the size of Manhattan.
With thousands displaced and worsening air quality, a public health emergency has been declared. Over 153,000 people remain under evacuation orders, while an additional 166,800 face warnings. According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, a curfew is in place across all evacuation zones.
(With inputs from Reuters)
