Dick Van Dyke Describes Harrowing Escape From Malibu Fire

Legendary Hollywood star Dick Van Dyke described the harrowing escape he and his wife Arlene made from the fire raging in Malibu in southern California this week.

Speaking to NBC News, the 98-year-old actor said they were able to get their animals and themselves safely away from the wind-driven Franklin fire thanks to some neighbors who he said saved his life.

“I wasn’t ready. This time I messed up … I have a fire hose that hooks up to my pool, and shoots like a 70-foot stream of water,” the actor said. “Well, I wasn’t ready. I went out.”

“It was snarled, and I’m out there laying on the ground trying to undo this fire hose, and the fire’s coming over the hill,” he added. “What I did was exhaust myself. I forgot how old I am, and I realized I was crawling to get out. It was coming from over the hill, you could see it.”

Dick Van Dyke says neighbors “saved me” during the Malibu wildfires. He had to evacuate his home a few days before his 99th birthday.

“I was trying to crawl to the car. I had exhausted myself. I couldn’t get up. Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out… pic.twitter.com/HJBOe46XyE

— Variety (@Variety) December 12, 2024

“I was trying to crawl to the car. I had exhausted myself and couldn’t get up. Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back,” the screen legend continued. ““[They] got me out of here, or I wouldn’t have done it. I don’t think I would have made it. They also came back, and my little guest house had started to flame up in the back. They put that out. So they saved my life and my house.”

In a post earlier this week on Facebook, Van Dyke said he and his wife had safely evacuated their homes after the blaze swept through the area.

“Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo [their cat] escaped as we were leaving,” the famed actor, who turns 99 on December 13, wrote.

“We’re praying he’ll be OK and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires,” he added.

The brush fire started around 11 p.m. on Monday night and thanks to the strong Santa Ana winds, had burned 4,037 acres and was just 7% contained, as of Thursday morning, NBC News noted.

Actor Jane Seymour, Cher, and other celebrities were also impacted by the fire.  

“While the Franklin Fire continues to burn in Malibu and has gotten extremely close to our home, we remain evacuated and we are safe,” Seymour wrote on Instagram Wednesday, along with sharing pictures showing the flames close to her home. “To everyone fighting the flames and keeping us safe, thank you. Your courage is extraordinary.”

A publicist for Cher, Liz Rosenberg, told the Associated Press that the singer/actress had left her home as ordered and was staying in a hotel.

Barbara Streisand also has a home in the area and a spokesperson for her told The New York Times she didn’t have to evacuate yet.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Related: Cher, Dick Van Dyke And Other Celebs Forced To Evacuate Homes Amid Malibu Fire