Dick Van Dyke narrowly escaped his Malibu mansion as wildfires ravaged Southern California. The iconic actor, who turns 99 on Friday, shared his harrowing experience in an interview on “Today” on Thursday. “It was coming from the hill, you could see it,” he said. “And oh my God, we got out of here. I was trying to crawl to the car, I had exhausted myself, I couldn’t get up.”
Fortunately, Van Dyke’s neighbors came to his rescue, preventing any harm from the fires. “Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a little fire in the guest house and saved me,” he recounted.
On Tuesday, Van Dyke announced on Facebook that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, had evacuated their $8 million hillside home to safety, but were forced 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,” he wrote. “We’re praying he’ll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”
By Thursday, Van Dyke confirmed on Facebook that his cat had been found. “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. But, thankfully he was easy to find and not harmed,” he said.
The intense blaze, known as the Franklin Fire, was first reported around 10:45 p.m. Monday as a small brushfire. It has since spread across the Pacific Coast Highway and reached the ocean, prompting mandatory evacuation orders. Exclusive photos obtained by The Post show Van Dyke’s home still standing after the inferno. Cher’s mansion also remained untouched, while some of their neighbors’ homes were destroyed by the fire. The “Believe” singer, 78, evacuated the area with her pets on Monday night.
Van Dyke is set to celebrate his milestone 99th birthday on Friday. In September, concerns about his health arose when he skipped a planned appearance at the 2024 Emmys and a fan convention in Utah. However, Van Dyke appeared to be in good health and high spirits during a recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He joined Coldplay musician Chris Martin and discussed appearing in Martin’s music video for “All My Love” with his son Barry, 73. Van Dyke even joked about his age, saying, “I’m old enough to be Joe Biden’s father!”
Source link: https://nypost.com
