Disabled child actor dies after water was 'switched off' during LA wildfires

A former child star Rory Callum Sykes has died in the Los Angeles wildfires. The British-born actor, who was blind and had cerebral palsy, died at his Malibu house on Jan 8. He was 32.

Sykes appeared in the TV show Kiddy Kapers in the 1990s.

Announcing the death of her son, the actor's mother explained how she was unable to save him from the raging fire that started earlier this week.

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In a post shared on X, the actor's mother, Shelley Sykes, wrote how his son fought all the challenges that life threw at him.

“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heartbroken,” Shelley wrote on Thursday.

“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. … He will be incredibly missed,” she added.

In the same post, she revealed that her son died in his cottage in their 17-acre Mount Malibu TV Studio estate that caught fire.

''@rorysykes had his own cottage on our 17-acre Mount Malibu TV Studio estate, decked out with all the latest apple gadgets, which burnt down yesterday 8 Jan 2024 Malibu Fires. I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by @LVMWD Las Virgenes Municipal Water,'' she wrote.

‘'Even the 50 brave firefighters had no water all day! He will be incredibly missed by @shelleysykes , mama his pet peacocks Edgee & Mickie & all his online fans around the world!’'

Speaking to Australian outlet 10 News first, Shelly said that her son told her to leave him.

He said, “Mum leave me” and no mom can leave their kid. I’ve got a broken arm, I couldn’t lift him, I couldn’t move him,’ she said.

After being unable to rescue her son from the cottage, she ran to the fire department for help. By the time she got back, the cottage was burned down.

Los Angeles wildfire

The city of Angels has been burning for almost a week now as ravaging wildfires continue to engulf several parts of the city. So far, 16 people have lost their lives, as per the officials.