UK-born child star Rory Sykes has died after getting trapped in his home during the Los Angeles fires. Rory, who was bllnd and had cerebral palsy, was trapped in his home in Malibu while his mother tried to get help.
Taking to social media, Shelley Sykes said: “It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son Rory Sykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heart broken.”
She described him as ‘a wonderful son, a gift’. Ropry was born in Yorkshire in 1992 and raised in Australia before moving to the US where he starred in a 90s show called Kiddy Kapers. He went on to found the Happy Charity.
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Shelley said he was born blind and with cerebral palsy, and had difficulty walking. She said: “He overcame so much with surgeries and therapies to regain his sight and to be able to learn to walk.
“Despite the pain, he still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica. Rory was a sought after inspirational speaker for Tony Robbins when he was only eight years old.”
Shelley said Rory was in his own cottage on their 17 acre Mount Malibu TV Studio estate when it caught fire. Se said: “I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by Las Virgenes Municipal Water. Even the 50 brave fire fighters had no water all day! He will be incredibly missed by his mama, his pet peacocks Edgee & Mickie and all his online fans around the world.”
The series of major fires in Los Angeles have killed at least 11 people, ravaged communities and caused thousands to flee their properties. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have visited a meal distribution site for people affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.
Harry and Meghan were filmed by local news outlet Fox 11 on Friday and were seen hugging people and speaking to emergency crews at the Pasadena Community Centre in Los Angeles.
The couple also met Victor Gordo, mayor of Pasadena, and in the footage they are seen speaking to World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder chef Jose Andres. WCK has pop-up locations around California, including at the Pasadena Community Centre, where the public and emergency crews can get free hot meals in the wake of the wildfires, its website says.
Meghan was also photographed speaking to Doug Goodwin, whose home was destroyed in the wildfires. Harry and Meghan live in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, some 90 miles from Los Angeles.
It is believed the couple have donated clothing, children’s items and other essential supplies for people affected by the fires. They also invited friends and loved ones who had been forced to evacuate into their home, it is understood.
On Thursday they recommended a list of fire service charities, animal groups and other initiatives to support. They said on their website: “In the last few days, wildfires in southern California have raged through neighbourhoods and devastated families, homes, schools, medical care centres, and so much more – affecting tens of thousands from all walks of life.”
At least six wildfires are still burning across Los Angeles County and 11 people have died -Credit:Getty
They added: “If a friend, loved one, or pet has to evacuate, and you are able to offer them a safe haven in your home, please do. Be sure to check in with any disabled or elderly neighbours to see if they need help evacuating.
“Some families and people have been left with nothing. Please consider donating clothing, children’s toys and other essentials. The American Red Cross is on the ground helping those in need.”
The two biggest fires devastating the Los Angeles area grew just slightly on Friday as firefighters beat back the blazes that have obliterated neighbourhoods and left the nation’s second-largest city on edge. Officials expressed optimism that a break from the punishing winds stoking the flames will allow firefighters to make headway on the fires that have burned an area bigger than San Francisco and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday.
“These fires are not out, though today we’re going to make a lot of progress,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday. Metropolitan Los Angeles and its 13 million residents, who have not seen rain for more than eight months, woke up on Friday to another day of strong winds and the threat of new flareups.
The gusts were expected to diminish by evening, however, and have already died down from earlier in the week, when hurricane-force winds blew embers that ignited hillsides. But meteorologist Rich Thompson warned the break could be short-lived.
“We’re looking for a little respite on Friday and Saturday from the Santa Ana winds but then they’re going to pick up again Sunday through most of next week,” he said on Thursday evening. LA mayor Karen Bass said on Friday that firefighters had contained several smaller fires in the past 24 hours.
On Thursday afternoon, the Kenneth Fire started in the San Fernando Valley near a school serving as a shelter for evacuees from another fire. It moved into neighbouring Ventura County, but a large and aggressive response by firefighters stopped the flames from spreading.
Dozens of blocks of scenic Pacific Palisades were flattened to smouldering rubble. In neighbouring Malibu, where oceanfront homes once stood, all that was left above the debris were blackened palm strands. No cause has been identified for the largest fires.
Firefighters for the first time have made progress containing the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, officials said on Friday. It started on Tuesday night and has burned more than 5,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. To the west, the fire in Pacific Palisades, the largest burning in the LA area, has destroyed more than 5,300 structures. The blaze is already the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.
At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries have been burned. So too were the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s.
The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage. AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to 135-150 billion dollars (£110 to £123 billion).
Later on Friday, the Los Angeles Fire Department issued an evacuation order because of a brush fire in the Granada Hills area. The area is just west of the Hurst Fire. Margaret Stewart, a department spokeswoman, said firefighters on the ground and in the air were able to tackle the Archer Fire quickly and that the evacuation order is expected to be downgraded soon.
“We still have some winds and that’s why we have not yet lifted the evacuation order,” Ms Stewart told KTLA. Authorities have set up a centre for people looking for missing loved ones. Of the 11 deaths so far, five were from the Palisades Fire and six from the Eaton Fire, according to the LA County medical examiner’s office.
Officials said they expected that number to rise as cadaver dogs go through levelled neighbourhoods to assess the devastation. Two of the dead were Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy. They were waiting for an ambulance to come and did not make it to safety, Mr Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.
Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate on Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.