As wildfires consumed the area surrounding his Malibu mansion, Dick Van Dyke managed to escape just in time. Speaking to a local news outlet on Thursday, the “Mary Poppins” star recounted his exhausting efforts to untangle a fire hose before his neighbors came to his aid.
Recalling the intensity of the situation, Van Dyke described, “It was coming from the hill, you could see it.” He shared how he struggled to reach his car, saying, “I was trying to crawl to the car; I had exhausted myself, I couldn’t get up. And three neighbors came and carried me out.”
Against all odds, Dick Van Dyke escapes the Malibu wildfires with gratitude and hope
The cherished actor, who will celebrate his 99th birthday on Friday, expressed gratitude for the heroic neighbors who even returned to help extinguish a small fire at his guest house. “[They] saved me,” he stated.
Surveillance footage captured the moment Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene Silver, evacuated their property with the assistance of their neighbors. However, they later announced on Facebook that one of their pets had gone missing amidst the chaos. “
Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo, who escaped as we were leaving,” Van Dyke wrote on Facebook Tuesday. He expressed his hopes, saying, “We’re praying he’ll be okay and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”
Fortunately, upon their return home on Wednesday, Bobo was waiting for them. Van Dyke provided an update, sharing, “We found Bobo as soon as we arrived back home this morning,” along with a photo of the furry orange cat. He mentioned that Animal Control had been alerted due to the concern over Bobo’s disappearance, but thankfully, he was located unharmed.
The Franklin Fire, which began as a small brushfire on Monday night, rapidly spread beyond the Pacific Coast Highway, devastating over 4,000 acres in Malibu and forcing thousands to evacuate the area.
Several other celebrities were also affected by the flames, including Cher, Barbra Streisand, Ricki Lake, and Mark Hamill. Earlier in the week, Cher’s publicist informed the New York Times that she and her pets had safely checked into a hotel.
Meanwhile, Hamill shared on Instagram that he was “in lockdown because of the Malibu fires.” He added, “Please stay safe everyone! I’m not allowed to leave the house, which fits in perfectly with my elderly-recluse lifestyle.”
