The mum of a former child star who was killed in the Los Angeles wildfires has said he “died needlessly” of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Rory Sykes, 32, who was blind and had cerebral palsy, died as he was unable to get out of his home as the fire spread, his mum Shelley told broadcasters. The child actor, who was born in the UK, appeared on the TV show Kiddy Kapers.
Shelley said she travelled to her local fire department after struggling to get through to the emergency services and move her son from his self-contained cottage next to her property, while flames surrounded the area.
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She told Australian TV newscast 10 News First: “He was my baby, and he died needlessly. Guess what didn’t work, 911. All the phone lines were down. He said ‘Mum, leave me’, and no mum can leave their kid, and I’ve got a broken arm. I couldn’t lift him. I couldn’t move him.”
The news programme said she drove 400 metres to her local fire station to ask for help but she was told that they had “no water”. Shelley claimed that when the fire department brought her back to her property, her son’s cottage was “burned to the ground”.
Rory Callum Sykes was a former child star
Las Virgenes Municipal Water has denied the claims that she was told they had no water, according to US reports. A spokesperson said: “Water service did remain available and uninterrupted to her property and the entire surrounding community.”
Shelley had previously said that Rory’s condition had meant he had “overcome so much” in his life, including “therapies to regain his sight and to be able to learn how to walk.”
She announced his death on social media, writing: “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 heart broken. British born Australian living in America, a wonderful son, a gift born on mine and his grandmas birthday 29 July 92, Rory Callum Sykes.”
She concluded her tribute by writing: “He will be incredibly missed by @shelleysykes, mama his pet peacocks Edgee and Mickie and all his online fans around the world!”
The death toll from the wildfires has risen to 16. Crews are still fighting to cut off the spreading blazes before potentially strong winds return, putting some of the city’s most famous landmarks at risk.
EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer and Star Wars actor Mark Hamill were among the celebrities who described the miracle of their house surviving the wind-driven fires ravaging California.
It comes after US reality star Paris Hilton launched an emergency fund to support families who have been displaced, kickstarting it with a personal donation of 100,000 dollars (£82,000) after she watched her Malibu home “burn to the ground on live TV”.
Actors Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal and Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg are among the other stars who have lost their homes.