Tragic twist after Aussie killed in wildfires
An Australian man killed in devastating California wildfires can’t be added to the state’s official death toll until cadaver dogs locate his body.
Rory Callum Sykes was inside a cottage on his family’s Malibu estate as the Palisades fire broke out.
The 32-year-old, who lives with cerebral palsy, died after the blaze ripped through the area, his mother Shelly Sykes confirmed on social media.
At least 11 people have been killed since a series of wildfires began around the city of Los Angeles on Thursday, with more than 10,000 structures razed.
At least 13 further people are missing in the fires, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna saying cadaver dogs are being used to find “remains and reunite families”.
The death toll is expected to rise as officials conduct systematic grid searches with cadaver dogs.
Mr Sykes was living in a self-contained cottage on a Malibu estate with Dr Sykes, who said calling emergency line 911 didn’t work and instead drove 400m to her local fire station to get help for her son.
Appearing on the Today show on Sunday morning, Dr Sykes said “he was my baby”.
“I’m just sad we couldn’t save him.”
Dr Sykes said her son died when the fire tore through their estate on Mount Malibu TV Studio estate, blaming the local Las Virgenes Municipal Water company.
She said there was “no water coming out of the hose” when she tried to put out embers on the roof of Callum’s cottage.
“(The fire station) had helped me before and they said, ‘What are you doing? You’re not supposed to be here’. And I said, ‘Please help Rory. His cottage has got flames on it and I’ve got no water’.”
“They said, ‘Shelly, we’ve got no water either’.”
“When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burned to the ground,” she told 10 News.
Dr Sykes said her son “died needlessly” after becoming trapped in the cottage.
“He died with carbon monoxide poisoning rather than burning, I didn’t want any pain for my baby.”
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has pledged a “deep dive” into the circumstances around the fire and reported water shortages.
“We will look at what worked, we will look at what didn’t work and we will let you know,” she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is providing consular assistance to Mr Sykes’ family.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government continues “to engage with Los Angeles authorities, who are working to confirm his death”.
On Sunday morning, NSW Premier Chris Minns described Mr Sykes’ death as “every parent’s worst nightmare,” drawing comparisons to Australia’s own devastating bushfires.
“It’s a reminder that these natural disasters don’t pay any heed to who you are or where you come from,” he said.
“I know many people in NSW who went through the Black Summer bushfires will remember how awful and traumatic those events were.”
“For the Sykes family to go through something similar, everyone in Australia I’m sure is very sad and concerned for their family and their wellbeing,” the premier said.
“I hope they get some peace in the months ahead.”
Dr Sykes said her son, who was born blind and with cerebral palsy had “overcome so much” in his life before it was cut short on January 8.
“He overcame so much with surgeries and therapies to regain his sight and to be able to learn how to walk,” she wrote on social media.
Dr Sykes is the author of “Callum’s Cure: A Triumph of Positive Parenting,” an autobiographical account of her experience raising Mr Sykes.
Rory was born in West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and was educated at St Mary’s Cathedral College and Sydney Distance Education High School in New South Wales.
According to his website, Mr Sykes hosted British RTV Show Kiddy Kapers and later performed Singing in the Rain at the Sydney Opera House during a short-lived career as a child actor and model.
In later years, Mr Sykes was an online gamer, philanthropist and public speaker.
