California wildfires: Former child star dies on family estate after ‘water shut off’

British-born star, who was born blind and lived with cerebral palsy, was unable to be rescued

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California wildfires: Former child star dies on family estate after 'water shut off'

Rory Callum Sykes, a British-born former child actor, has died in the wildfires that have devastated California this week.

Sykes, who featured in the Australian TV series Kiddy Kapers, was at his family’s home in Malibu when he died at the age of 32.

The news was announced on X/Twitter by his mother, Shelley Sykes, who also starred in the 1998 reality series.

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

Find live updates about the California fires here

Sykes was more recently known as a video game streamer and had been living in Sydney, Australia, before recently immigrating to the US. He had been born blind and with cerebral palsey; during an appearance on the Australian talk show Kerri-Anne as a child, he and his mother discussed the surgeries he had undergone to restore his sight.

His mother wrote that he was living in a cottage on his family’s large Malibu estate when the fires broke out.

“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.”

Rory Sykes interviewed on Australian series ‘Kerri-Anne’
Rory Sykes interviewed on Australian series ‘Kerri-Anne’ (Channel 9 (Australia))

Shelley wrote that she was “heartbroken” by her son’s death, describing him as a “true humanitarian”.

“Rory was born blind with cerebral palsy & had difficulty walking,” she wrote. “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.”

The fires in Los Angeles broke out on Tuesday (7 January), and have caused the deaths of at least 11 people, with the confirmed death toll expected to rise in the coming days. Sykes’ death is not yet counted in the official figures.

The fires in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton are the most destructive in the history of California.

Actor Jennifer Garner is among those who has lost someone in the fires.

“I did lose a friend, and for our church, it’s really tender so I don’t feel like we should talk about her yet,” the visibly emotional actor said, while distributing food to evacuees with the nonprofit organisation World Central Kitchen. “I did lose a friend who did not get out in time.”

“My heart bleeds for my friends,” she continued. “I mean, I can think of 100 families, and there are 5,000 homes lost. I can – without even [thinking] – I could just write out a list of 100 friends who lost their homes.”