Dick Van Dyke, 98, exhausted himself evacuating from Malibu fires. How his neighbors ‘saved’ him
Dick Van Dyke says his neighbors helped him evacuate his home amid the deadly fires in Malibu, California.
“I was trying to crawl to the car. I had exhausted myself. I couldn’t get up,” Van Dyke told NBC News correspondent Dana Griffin. “And three neighbors came and carried me out, and came back and put out a little fire in the guesthouse and saved me.”
The “Mary Poppins” star, who turns 99 on Dec. 13, shared on Facebook earlier this week that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, had escaped the fires safely.
Security footage from their home shows the couple evacuating with their animals, but Van Dyke wrote in his Facebook post that their cat, Bobo, had gone missing.
“Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” he penned. “We’re praying he’ll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”
Later, Van Dyke shared a happy update about Bobo.
“We found Bobo as soon as we arrived back home this morning. There was so much interest in his disappearance that Animal Control was called in to assist,” he commented on his original Facebook post. “But, thankfully he was easy to find and not harmed.”
Coldplay shared their well wishes for Van Dyke in a Facebook comment.
“Dick — we’re sending love and prayers to you, Arlene and everyone affected by these fires. Call us if there’s anything we can do. Love Phil, Chris, Guy, Jonny and Will,” the band wrote. Van Dyke and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin recently teamed up for the music video of Coldplay’s new song, “All My Love.”
The blaze, which authorities have named the Franklin Fire, broke out on Dec. 9. The fire has now burned more than 4,000 acres with containment at 7%, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shared in a Dec. 12 update on X.
On Dec. 11, officials said more than 6,000 people remain evacuated from their homes, NBC News reported.
Dick Van Dyke was not the only famous local to evacuate this week. Cher escaped to a hotel with her pets on Dec. 9, the singer’s publicist told The New York Times.
Jane Seymour also shared photos and videos on Dec. 11 of the fire burning on Instagram, writing in the caption that she had evacuated and was safe.
“We are deeply grateful for the amazing firefighters and the incredible band of Malibu volunteer firefighters who are risking everything to protect our homes and our community,” she wrote.
