Los Angeles wildfires: Former child actor Rory Sykes tragically dies in Malibu after water was switched off

Rory Sykes, 32, asked his mother to leave him and save herself.

Rory Callum Sykes, a former child star popular for the 1998 British TV show Kiddy Kapers, tragically died after the blaze scorched through his family’s property in Malibu. The 32-year-old was blind and had cerebral palsy. Despite his mother trying to save him, he passed away amid the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles in recent times.

The news of his demise was confirmed by his mother Shelley Sykes. “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,” she wrote on X. According to reports, the actor died of carbon monoxide poisoning after his mother failed to evacuate him from the property as he was unable to walk.

Sykes asked her to leave him and save herself. “He said, ‘mom leave me’ and no mom can leave their kid. And I’ve got a broken arm, I couldn’t fit him, I couldn’t move him,” she told Australian media. According to a social media post, Shelley had broken her arm and failed to lift him.

“I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by Las Virgenes Municipal Water,” she wrote. “Even the 50 brave firefighters had no water all day.”

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Former child star Rory Sykes, who was blind and had cerebral palsy, passed away in the LA fires, told his mom to leave him.

Horrific.

Sykes, 32, was unable to move because of his condition as the fire approached.

His mother, who had a broken arm and couldn’t lift him, said she… pic.twitter.com/7WhKNxNuNa

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 12, 2025

Condolences poured in on social media soon after the news broke. “This is absolutely horrific and heartbreaking, truly,” a user wrote. “This is the saddest story of this whole horrific incident. The pain he must have gone through? The one living right now feeling guilty until their last day,” another user commented.

“Absolutely heartbreaker. Justice should be strong & quick to those that caused this,” a third user wrote.

The death toll in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires has surged to 24, the LA County Medical Examiner confirmed Monday morning. According to Reuters, authorities have warned of more casualties as strong winds are set to return this week. The Palisades fire has destroyed 22,660 acres and is only 11 per cent contained, while the Eaton fire, near Pasadena, has scorched 14,000 acres and is 15 per cent contained.