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A Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke revealed that neighbors “rescued” him from his home as he tried to evacuate due to the devastating Malibu Franklin Fire.
Franklin fire, another fire late in the year inflamed by fierce Santa Ana winds, left a trail of destruction in their wake. Officials confirmed that nine buildings were destroyed and six were damaged. Fire officials said it would take “several days” to extinguish the blaze, which was 20 percent contained by early Thursday afternoon (December 12). The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The area’s strongest winds have passed, and forecasters said the high fire danger has been reduced, helping efforts to contain the blaze. Evacuations in Malibu displaced thousands of residents, including celebrities Dick Van Dyke and Cher.
According to People magazinethe Mary Poppins Zvezda, who turns 99 on December 13, admitted that he managed to escape from the fire and that he is grateful to his neighbors.
In an interview onToday show, which aired on December 12, Van Dyke said, “It [the fire] was coming from the hill, you could see it. And oh my god, and we’re out of here. I was trying to crawl to the car, I was exhausted, I couldn’t get up.”
He added: “Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a small fire in the guest house and saved me.”
The actor previously posted on Facebook on Tuesday (December 10) that he and his wife Arlene Silver were safe, but that I can’t locate one of my pets. “Arlene and I evacuated safely with our animals, except that Bobo escaped while we were leaving,” he wrote of their cat at the time.
“We pray that he is well and that our community at Serra Retreat survives these terrible fires.”
The actor later informed his followers when they found Bob, writing: “We found Bob as soon as we got home this morning. There was so much interest in his disappearance that Animal Control was called in to help. But luckily he was easy to find and didn’t hurt him.”
On Thursday (Dec. 12), Los Angeles County officials announced that firefighters had made significant progress on the 4,037-acre blaze, which was up to 20 percent contained, according to Dusty Martin of Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ) .
The first phase of resettlement, in which residents are allowed to begin returning to their homes, will begin soon, but mandatory evacuation orders will only be lifted in some areas.