In an emotional interview, Shelley Sykes, the mother of former child actor Rory Sykes who died in their Malibu home amid the Palisades Fire, shared her harrowing story and grieved the devastating loss of her son.  

Shelley fought back tears recalling the final moments with 32-year-old Rory, who was born blind and lived with cerebral palsy.  

On Jan. 7, when the Palisades Fire broke out, the mother and son stayed behind at their Malibu home believing they were safe. Overnight, though, as the wind-driven fire escalated and sent embers flying onto their property, a massive flare up trapped Rory, who has difficulty walking, inside his cottage.  

“I drove up to the top of his cottage, turned on the hose pipe and no water came out of it,” Shelley explained. “I raced back down and dialed 911 but 911 wasn’t working and all the lines were down for emergencies.”  

Despite her best efforts, she says Rory locked himself in his cottage and told his mother to save herself instead.  

“He was always worried about me, I think he felt guilty I did so much for him,” Shelley told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “He was my baby. No mommy leaves her kid when they’re special.”  

Shelley said that she grabbed her peacocks and drove down to try and get help, but when firefighters returned, the cottage as well as the main were completely destroyed by fire.  

Officials have yet to retrieve the former child star’s remains from the charred rubble of the cottage.  

“His life should have been celebrated because he was pretty awesome. I’m sending love and peace to everyone out there suffering,” Rory’s mother said. “Nobody should go through this.”  

As a child, Sykes hosted “Kiddy Kapers,” a British television show produced by his mother. He soon realized he did not like “life in front of the camera,” and went on to be “a philanthropist, investor, gamer, developer, founder, speaker, and mentor,” his website explains. 

AltaMed Health Services, one of the nation’s largest federally qualified health centers, had to evacuate their Pasadena clinic due to the Eaton Fire, which later burned to the ground.

In the wake of the destruction, the hospital has launched a relief fund to support patients and employees affected by the Southern California wildfires. 

The AltaMed 2025 Fire Relief Fund will raise money to help cover the services being offered to evacuees at the Pasadena Convention Center and provide immediate relief and support to patients, employees and community members who live in the fire-stricken area. 

Evacuation orders due to the fires have impacted other AltaMed clinics in the area, and they remain temporarily closed.  

“While we experienced the loss of one of our clinics, the health and well-being of our patients is our top priority, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that they and other community members impacted by the Eaton Fire, have access to the healthcare services they need,” said AltaMed Foundation President Dr. Zoila D. Escobar. “Our staff have been working around the clock since Wednesday, providing health services, mental health support, medication and other essential resources to evacuees at the Pasadena Convention Center.” 

“As we are directly hearing from those impacted by the fire, our Community Organizing and Research Engagement Team is mobilizing and engaging community partners to swiftly gather and bring the items and services being requested,” Dr. Escobar added. 

The fire isn’t just affecting patients, as several hundred employees have been displaced by the Eaton Fire and 15 of them lost their homes at last check, according to hospital officials.  

“Notwithstanding, providers, staff and administrators are committed to maintaining a continuity of care for our patients and assisting others in the area who need care,” AltaMed officials said. 

Click here for more information on the AltaMed Foundation, and click here to donate to the 2025 Fire Relief Fund.

Police confirmed to KTLA that officers detained two people at Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Brentwood during curfew hours on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Police Department said a call came into the West L.A. station around 4:40 a.m., reporting a potential burglary on the Vice President’s property.

Officers responded to the residence located on Bundy Drive, north of Sunset Drive, and found two individuals on the property.

Some reports said the subjects were two men dressed all in black, but that detail has yet to be confirmed by police.

LAPD said officers detained the two people who were breaking curfew, but have since released them as they found no evidence that they were committing a crime.

Details are extremely limited, police did not immediately say what the two people were doing on the Vice President’s property or whether the incident would be further investigated.

National Guard members and local enforcement from the LAPD, Santa Monica Police and Airport Police Departments reminded residents that they will continue to patrol fire zones from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., ready to arrest anyone for trespassing, looting or any other type of violation.

Brentwood, as well as communities in the San Fernando Valley, were growing areas of concern as the Palisades Fire began climbing inland over the mountains on Friday and Saturday.

The Palisades Fire, already one of the most destructive natural disasters in Los Angeles history, erupted on Tuesday, Jan. 7. As of Saturday evening, it had claimed 5 lives, burned 23,654 acres and was 11% contained. More than 5,000 structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

For more updates on the fire, click here.