MALIBU, California. Dick Van Dyke, a beloved actor, told how his astute neighbors helped him escape the fast-moving Franklin Fire that was burning through Malibu this week.
The movie icon, who turns 99 on Friday, remembered witnessing the fire spread across a hill close to his house this week. “I wasn’t ready,” he told NBC News, despite having already experienced four wildfires.
I made a mistake this time. My pool is connected to a fire hose, which emits water in a 70-foot stream. I wasn’t prepared, to be sure. I left. It was knotted, and as I lay on the ground attempting to untangle this fire hose, the fire is spreading across the hill. I simply exhausted me. He recounted, “I realized I was crawling to get out, and I forgot how old I am.”
“You could see it coming from over the hill,” he claimed.
Three of his neighbors came out to assist him while he was having difficulties.
I tried to crawl over to the automobile. I couldn’t get up since I was too tired. “I was carried out and returned by three neighbors,” he explained.
Van Dyke claimed that after being brought to the automobile by the neighbors, he quickly got into the car with his wife and cats. Those neighbors saved his life, and he thanked them.
I wouldn’t have done it if they hadn’t gotten me out of here. He said, “I don’t think I would have made it.” They returned, too, and the back of my tiny guest house was on fire. They released that. Thus, they preserved both my home and my life.
He evacuated with his wife, Arlene, and their cats, as seen on video from his doorbell camera. Following their evacuation, they spent the night at a hotel in Santa Monica, where he had given a performance in 1948.
Van Dyke called the firefighters’ efforts to put out the fire “amazing.”
The flames simply overpowered them, and they quickly had me out of here and saturating my house with water. “Those guys must be worn out, but they deserve all the praise they can get,” he remarked.
According to Van Dyke, the guest house was the only part of his house that was damaged.
As of Thursday morning, the city of Malibu reports that the Franklin Fire, which began Monday night, has burned 4,037 acres and is 7% contained. Nine buildings have been burned by the fire so far, highways have been blocked, and almost 20,000 residents are under evacuation warnings and orders.
The fire also affected actress Jane Seymour. She shared striking images of the fires close to her house.
We are safe and still evacuated, even though the Franklin Fire is still burning in Malibu and has come dangerously close to our house, she posted on Instagram on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone battling the fire and protecting us. Your bravery is remarkable.
Marlene Lenthang reported from Los Angeles, while Dana Griffin reported from Malibu.
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