Dick Van Dyke is celebrating his 99th birthday on Friday with his wife and pets (including his once-missing cat Bobo), but this week’s wildfires in Malibu caused the legendary Thanks to the neighbors who rescued Mr. Dick, a famous film and stage actor, from his home.
Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene, were among thousands of area residents forced to evacuate their homes as the Franklin Fire broke out Monday night. The fire was caused by strong Santa Ana winds and eventually grew to 4,000 acres.
Van Dyke wrote on Facebook that he and his wife were able to safely evacuate their home. But the situation was even more dire than the “Mary Poppins” star says. Van Dyke, a six-time Emmy Award winner, told NBC 4 News that he was struggling to untangle water hoses as fire approached his home in Malibu’s Sera Retreat community. Ta.
“I’m lying on the ground outside trying to disconnect the fire hose and the fire is coming from over the hill,” he said. “What I did was exhaust myself. I forgot how old I was and found myself trying to crawl out.”
Several homes were destroyed in Malibu, including in the Serra Retreat area. But Van Dyke was rescued by neighbors.
“Then three of my neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a small fire in the guest house and saved me,” Van Dyke said.
As ash fell on Van Dyke’s driveway, kind neighbors guided Van Dyke to a nearby car, according to footage from a security camera on Van Dyke’s property. At that time, two firefighters arrived. Van Dyke said his home was saved.
He and his wife were able to escape with their pets, but one of their cats, Bobo, was never found. But when the couple returned home, they were in for a pleasant surprise.
“I found Bobo as soon as I got home this morning,” Van Dyke wrote in a follow-up Facebook post. “His disappearance caused a great deal of interest and animal control was requested to assist. However, fortunately he was easily located and was not harmed.”
The post received a lot of positive feedback from fans, and members of British rock band Coldplay also chimed in, as did Southern California Holiday Miracle. The band recently released a video for their new single “All My Love,” in which lead singer Chris Martin sits at a piano and serenades Van Dyke as he sings and dances along to the song. Featured.
“Dick, we send our love and prayers to you, Arlene and everyone affected by this fire. Please call us if there is anything we can do. Love Phil, Chris, Guy, Johnny and Will. ” Coldplay commented on Bobo’s photo.
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