An Australian mother has told how she tried in vain to save her blind son from Wildfire in Los Angeles area Since the water supply was exhausted.
TV production entrepreneur Shelley Sykes tells Australian media about a desperate battle to save her 32-year-old son Rory Sykes, who suffers from cerebral palsy.
wind spread wildfire It has killed at least 24 people in Los Angeles, engulfed communities and destroyed homes.
Sykes said on social media She and her son lived on a 17-acre estate in the beach town of Malibu in Los Angeles County.
Rory Sykes, who appeared on the British TV show “Kiddy Capers” in the 1990s, had his own cottage on the property, he said.
His son was blind and had difficulty walking.
Sykes told Australia's Channel Nine, “Rory's legs were swelling because of the heat and he couldn't walk properly. And he also had stomach problems. So he didn't want to be too far from the bathroom.” sunday.
“So he said, 'Mom, you go, I'm staying.'
Sykes said she couldn't leave her son alone on the property.
“I stayed in the bathroom of the main property with my two peacocks because it was difficult to breathe. Sitting on the floor with bottled water and trying to keep myself wet.”
Sykes said she saw embers on the roof of her son's hut and tried to put them out with a hose, but “there was no water coming out of there.”
She then went to the nearest fire station to ask for help, but was told they also had no access to water.
“There was nothing there”
Water hydrants ran dry in some areas of Los Angeles during initial efforts to fight the fire, sparking widespread anger among residents.
When the fire department took Sykes back to his property, he found the hut reduced to “just black ash”.
“There was nothing there,” she told Channel Nine.
Sykes – who shared his birthday with his son – said he was overwhelmed by her death.
“I'm absolutely devastated, it's surreal at the moment. I can't breathe.”
Fire officials said he died of carbon monoxide poisoning, Sykes said.
The victim's mother said that she was unable to rescue her son from danger.
“I broke an arm. I couldn't lift it. I couldn't move it,” she said in a separate interview with Australia's Channel 10.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is aware of reports that an Australian man has died and is working closely with local authorities.
The department said it was providing consular assistance to the man's family, but was unable to comment further, citing “confidentiality obligations.”
Disabled Anthony Mitchell, 67, and his son, Justin, who suffers from cerebral palsy, also died in the fire, the Associated Press reported. other fire victims This includes a man who was found holding a garden hose as well as an 82-year-old man who died in his bed.