Current:Home > NewsDick Van Dyke credits neighbors with saving his life and home during Malibu fire -TradeStation
Dick Van Dyke credits neighbors with saving his life and home during Malibu fire
View
Date:2025-04-17 05:11:04
Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke and his family are alive and well thanks to some quick-thinking neighbors, who sprang into action to offer assistance as the Franklin Fire barreled toward his Malibu home.
The 98-year-old actor and comedian was one of a handful of A-list celebrities, including Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, impacted by the wind-fueled brush fire, that has scorched more than 4,000 acres since it began late Monday night. Firefighters are still working around the clock to extinguish the blaze, which left thousands displaced.
Van Dyke, who has already lived through four wildfires, "wasn't ready" when he spotted the flames coming over the hill towards his home, he shared in a Thursday interview with NBC News.
"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. 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 told NBC News. "What I did was exhaust myself. I forgot how old I am, and I realized I was crawling to get out."
Van Dyke was lucky, telling NBC News, that if it hadn't been for three neighbors who came to help him, he's not sure he or his house would have made it. The only damage to Van Dyke's estate, per NBC News, was to his guest house.
Need a break?Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"I was trying to crawl to the car," Van Dyke said in the interview. "I had exhausted myself. I couldn't get up. And three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a little fire in the guest house and saved me."
Dick Van Dyke back in Malibu home days after initial evacuation
Van Dyke and his wife Arlene wrote in a Facebook post early Tuesday morning that they had "safely evacuated." They stayed in a local hotel for the night, without their escaped cat Bobo, who had escaped as they were leaving.
"We’re praying he’ll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires," he wrote.
The Van Dyke family was home and had located Bobo by Wednesday, they said in another Facebook update that they were home and Animal Control had easily found the cat unharmed.
The effort made by firefighters to extinguish the blaze is "incredible," Van Dyke told NBC News.
“They had me out of here and pouring water on my house instantly, and that fire just overwhelmed them," Van Dyke said. "They must be exhausted, those guys, but they deserve every accolade they can get."
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
veryGood! (649)
Related
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Transgender adults are worried about finding welcoming spaces to live in their later years
- Man accused of beating goose to death with golf club at New York golf course, officials say
- Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Shares Update on Self-Care Journey After Discussing Health Struggles
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- The Morning Show Season 3 Trailer Unveils Dramatic Shakeups and Takedowns
- Plane crash believed to have killed Russian mercenary chief is seen as Kremlin’s revenge
- Italian leader tones down divisive rhetoric but carries on with pursuit of far-right agenda
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- See Rudy Giuliani's mug shot after the embattled Trump ally turned himself in at Fulton County Jail
Ranking
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Savannah picks emancipated Black woman to replace name of slavery advocate on historic square
- Gun control already ruled out, Tennessee GOP lawmakers hit impasse in session after school shooting
- Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise after Wall Street rally
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Journalism has seen a substantial rise in philanthropic spending over the past 5 years, a study says
- At least 3 killed in shooting at historic Southern California biker bar
- Video of fatal Tennessee traffic stop shows car speeding off but not deputy’s shooting of driver
Recommendation
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Radio announcer Suzyn Waldman fed up with 'boring,' punchless Yankees
How Kim Cattrall Returned as Samantha in And Just Like That Season 2 Finale
Bryan Kohberger's trial is postponed after Idaho student stabbings suspect waives right to speedy trial
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Paul Flores, Kristin Smart's killer, hospitalized after being attacked in prison, lawyer says
WWE star Bray Wyatt, known for the Wyatt Family and 'The Fiend,' dies at age 36
WWE star Bray Wyatt, known for the Wyatt Family and 'The Fiend,' dies at age 36