Former Australian child actor Rory Sykes killed in LA wildfires as author mom tried to find help when water ran out

A blind Australian former child actor was killed when the flames of the Palisades Fire tore through his family’s Malibu cottage and his mother claimed water ran out.

Rory Callum Sykes, 32, who lives with cerebral palsy and appeared in a handful of episodes of the British TV show Kiddy Kapers hosted by his mother author Shelley Sykes, died on the family’s 17-acre estate on Jan. 8.

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

Rory Sykes with his mom, Shelley. Sykes died inside his cottage on his family’s Malibu estate. Shelley Sykes/X

“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,” she added.

Sykes was born blind and diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

The cottage caught fire when embers from the deadly blaze landed on the roof, trapping Rory inside, according to 10 News First.

The heartbroken Shelley said she attempted to move her son out of the burning building but an injury stopped her.

Sykes was trapped inside his cottage located on the 17-acre Malibu estate. 10 First News/YouTube
The Palisades Fire burns in the Malibu mountains on Jan. 7, 2025. ZUMAPRESS.com

“He said ‘Mom leave me’ and no mom can leave their kid,” she told the outlet fighting through tears.

“I’ve got a broken arm, I couldn’t lift him, I couldn’t move him,” added.

His mother said she tried to spray the burning roof with a hose but was unsuccessful, claiming the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District had shut off her water.

Stay up to date with the NYP’s coverage of the terrifying LA-area fires

The “50 brave firefighters” were also faced with battling the raging inferno in the area without water, Sykes added.

Sykes said she couldn’t call for help because “911” wouldn’t work and drove a quarter mile through the smoke-filled roads to find first responders.

The self-contained cottage had burned down when Shelley and the firefighters returned to the property.

Rory’s death is not part of the 11 fire-related fatalities that the Los Angeles Medical Examiner announced, as his remains have not yet been recovered, the outlet reported.

The Palisades Fire has killed five people while the Eaton Fire claimed six other lives.

Firefighters told Sykes that her son died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

“I didn’t want any pain for my baby,” Sykes cried.

A Malibu beach house along the Pacific Coast Highway is engulfed in flames on Jan. 8, 2025. AFP via Getty Images

Sykes was a former child actor and hosted the British RTV Show ‘Kiddy Kapers’ in 1998, according to NewsAU.

The Malibu estate was featured on Shelley Sykes Reality TV show “Get Syked with Style.” He later described himself as a “gamer and a philanthropist,” his website read.