Former child star with cerebral palsy died ‘needlessly’ in LA fires, says mother
The fires that began on Tuesday just north of central LA have burned more than 12,000 structures.
A former child star who was blind and had cerebral palsy “died needlessly” in the Los Angeles wildfires, his mother has claimed.
Shelley Sykes travelled to her local fire department after struggling to get through to the emergency services and move her son, Rory, from his self-contained cottage next to her property, while flames surrounded the area.
“He was my baby, and he died needlessly”, she told Australian TV newscast 10 News First.
“Guess what didn’t work, 911. All the phone lines were down,” she said.
“He said ‘Mum, leave me’, and no mum can leave their kid, and I’ve got a broken arm. I couldn’t lift him. I couldn’t move him.”
The news programme said she drove 400 metres to her local fire station to ask for help which is when they told her they had “no water”, Ms Sykes claimed.
“When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burned to the ground”, she added.
Ms Sykes said her British-born son, who appeared on TV show Kiddy Kapers, died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Las Virgenes Municipal Water denied her claims, according to US reports, saying the “water service did remain available and uninterrupted to her property and the entire surrounding community”.
Jason Oppenheim, star of US reality programme Selling Sunset, said landlords are taking advantage of people being displaced due to the fires which began on Tuesday, just north of central LA, and have burned more than 12,000 structures.
Since offering to represent those who have lost their homes for free, the reality star said the Oppenheim Group agents have “received dozens and dozens of calls from people who have lost their homes in the fires”.
“It’s all hands on deck right now, but it’s really difficult because there are thousands of people who are displaced without places to stay”, he told BBC One programme Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
“The hotels are overwhelmed all the way down to Newport Beach and even into San Diego you can’t get a hotel room right now.
“And even, unfortunately, and this is something that I want to discuss, because I think it should be exposed, but we’re having landlords taking advantage of the situation.
“I had a client – we sent him to a house that was asking 13,000 dollars (£10,600) a month – he offered 20,000 dollars (£16,400) a month, and he offered to pay six months up front.
“And the landlord said, “No, I want 23,000 dollars (18,800) a month’. You know, there are price-gouging laws in California that are just being ignored right now.
“And this isn’t the time to be taking advantage of situations, and it’s also illegal to take advantage of a natural disaster.”
The death toll from the wildfires rose to 16 as crews battled to cut off the spreading blazes before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward some of the city’s most famous landmarks.
EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer and Star Wars actor Mark Hamill were among the celebrities who described the miracle of their house surviving the wind-driven fires ravaging California.
It comes after US reality star Paris Hilton launched an emergency fund to support families who have been displaced, kickstarting it with a personal donation of 100,000 dollars (£82,000) after she watched her Malibu home “burn to the ground on live TV”.
Actors Mel Gibson, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal and Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg are among the other stars who have lost their homes.
The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, talk show host Ricki Lake, and songwriter Diane Warren have also lost their properties with reports that Sir Anthony Hopkins’ home burned to the ground in the Pacific Palisades fire.
US actress Jennifer Garner was among the stars volunteering, providing food relief for evacuees and the emergency services, working alongside World Central Kitchen founder chef Jose Andres at one of the charity’s many pop-up locations around California.
Standing amid the rubble of her home town of 25 years, an emotional Garner told US outlet MSNBC: “I did lose a friend, and for our church it’s really tender, so I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet.
“I did lose a friend who did not get out in time.”
Meanwhile many Hollywood stars used their platforms to share links to evacuation resources and donation pages and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited a meal distribution site and were seen hugging people and speaking to emergency crews on Friday.
Oscar-nominated actress Sharon Stone encouraged stars to make donations to a distribution centre, which prompted Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry to pack up “my entire closet” in order to “help all of the displaced families that are in need of the basics”.
After members of the Kardashian family were reportedly evacuated from their homes, matriarch Kris Jenner said her family approached their favourite Armenian restaurant to “feed a few fire houses”.
Kim Kardashian said she donated to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation “providing critical resources to the heroic first responders protecting our city”, and made a “sizeable donation of underwear, clothing, and socks to Baby2Baby to help those displaced by the fires”.
Entertainment company LiveNation said a charity concert, FireAid, will take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, which will be “dedicated to rebuilding communities devastated by wildfires and supporting efforts to prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California”.
The event is billed as an “evening of music and solidarity” and will take place on January 30, with performers yet to be announced.
TV host Melissa Rivers told CNN she managed to save the Emmy awarded to her late mother, the comedian and actress Joan Rivers, while fleeing her home.
The fires have thrown Hollywood’s awards season into disarray, with the Critics Choice Awards and Producers Guild Awards nominations among the events postponed.
