Fox News: Rory Sykes, former child star, dead at 32 from California fires

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Rory Sykes, former child star, dead at 32 from California fires

Former child actor and Australia citizen Rory Callum Sykes died at his home in Malibu after his mother was unable to contact 911 during the Palisades Fire.......                    ...                        ...Former child actor Rory Callum Sykes died Wednesday, Jan. 8, a victim of the Palisades Fire, according to his mother, Shelley Sykes. He was 32.......Rory, an Australian actor who was born blind and with cerebral palsy, starred on the British television show You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login In addition to his work in front of the camera, Rory also served as a motivational speaker and helped form the Happy Charity organization with his mom.......Sykes attempted to evacuate their Malibu home when the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login ignited, only to have difficulty retrieving emergency services due to limited resources, including power.......You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login......"He was my baby, and he died needlessly," Sykes told You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login. ......Sykes said her son lived in a guest house on the family's 17-acre Malibu canyon property. As the Palisades Fire encroached on the community, she had no form of communication with the outside world. ......You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login......"Guess what didn't work? 911 – all the phone lines were down," she said. "He said, 'Mom, 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."......In an attempt to evacuate, she drove to her local fire station for help, and was told they had "no water."......"I said, 'Oh my God, my son is locked in his room," Sykes recalled. "When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground."......You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login......The British-born Sykes moved to Australia as a child. He wrote a book, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login which detailed his determination to not only walk one day, but also see......."He died with carbon monoxide poisoning rather than burning," Sykes said she was told by firefighters. "I didn't want any pain for my baby."......Sykes is contemplating a class action suit, and is staying in place for the time being.......You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login......"I'm not going to move," Sykes said. "That's going to be the place, a special place for Rory and I, and we'll make it even more beautiful than it already was."......The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported Sunday that the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login burned 23,713 acres and is now 11% contained. Five fatalities have been reported since the fire ignited on Tuesday, Jan. 7.......Less than 30 miles away, the Eaton Fire, which also ignited on Jan. 7 in Altadena, burned 14,117 acres and is now 27%.  Eleven fatalities have been confirmed....

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