Dick Van Dyke and Cher are among the fortunate ones. After evacuating their Malibu, California, homes due to the Franklin Fire, which tore through the affluent coastal neighborhood, destroying several properties, The Post can confirm that the mansions of Van Dyke, 98, and Cher, 77, are still standing. The fire has burned over 4,000 acres, leading to evacuation orders, road closures, and school shutdowns.
NBC Los Angeles reports that a shift in wind on Wednesday afternoon is a positive sign for residents, but brave firefighters continue to fight the flames. The Post has obtained exclusive photos of Van Dyke and Cher’s mansions, revealing that their properties remain untouched, while some of their neighbors’ homes were not so lucky.
The land opposite Cher’s home on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) was scorched, and a small fire broke out next to her property, but her mega-mansion remained unscathed. The singer evacuated her home with her pets on Monday night. Her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed to the New York Times that the Grammy winner is currently staying at a hotel.
Van Dyke received an early birthday gift as he prepares to turn 99 on Friday, as his $8 million hillside home was also unharmed by the Franklin Fire as of late Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, his neighbors on the same street were not as fortunate. The “Mary Poppins” star fled with his wife, Arlene Silver, on Tuesday, but they had to leave their beloved cat behind in the chaos.
“Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” Van Dyke announced on Facebook. “We’re praying he’ll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.” He later shared a video of the orange cat playing in a garden, writing, “Hoping Bobo is ok.”
Meanwhile, The Post obtained photos of Ricki Lake, 56, passing through a police checkpoint in the area. She was allowed to enter a road leading back to her Malibu home. The former talk show host seemed to be in good spirits as she waited in a long traffic line, driving her Tesla with her white dog on her lap and her husband, Ross Burningham, in the passenger seat. Lake’s home is in an area severely affected by the Franklin wildfire, but it’s unclear if her property was damaged.
The intense Franklin Fire was first reported around 10:45 p.m. Monday as a small brushfire. It later jumped the PCH and moved towards the ocean, prompting around 6,000 people to be ordered to evacuate due to the inferno threat. The cause of the fire remains unknown. Other A-listers living in Malibu evacuation zones include Barbra Streisand, Jonah Hill, Julia Roberts, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z, but it’s unclear if they also evacuated their homes.
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