Dick Van Dyke Forced To Flee Malibu Fire Days Before His 99th Birthday

The Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke is set to turn 99 on Friday. Sadly, he was forced to flee his home in Malibu, California this week amidst the devastating wildfires in the area.

Van Dyke Evacuates His Home

Van Dyke, 98, took to social media on Tuesday morning to say that he and his wife Arlene Silver, 53, had been “safely evacuated.” They managed to make it out with almost all of their animals. Sadly, one of their cats named Bobo tragically escaped at the last minute.

“Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” Van Dyke wrote. “We’re praying he’ll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”

Van Dyke later shared a video of his beloved missing cat, writing, “I hope Bobo is okay.”

Fans took to the comments section of Van Dyke’s post to share their support.

“Prayers lifted for you and your family and friends. Prayers for emergency responders as well!” one fan commented. Another added, “My thoughts are with you and all those impacted. Glad you all are safe, hoping BoBo will be rescued.”

“So glad you are all safe,” a third wrote. “Praying for you.”

Related: Dick Van Dyke Reveals He’s ‘Not Afraid’ Of Death Days Before 99th Birthday

The Franklin Fire

The Franklin Fire reportedly began at around 10:50 p.m. Monday night. It started north of Pepperdine University, and it has since grown to over 2,800 acres. The local sheriff revealed on Tuesday that over 18,000 people and 8,100 buildings have been affected by this fire. 2,000 of these buildings have been given evacuation orders.

The LA County Fire and Sheriff’s arson teams are still investigating how this fire started at this time. Find out more about this in the video below.

Van Dyke isn’t the only celebrity who has had to evacuate his home due to this fire. The Oscar-winners Cher, Barbra Streisand, and Mira Sorvino have all had to leave their homes as well. Representatives for Cher, 78, have confirmed that the singer is staying at a hotel with her pets. Meanwhile, Streisand, 82, has yet to comment on her specific situation.

“All my Malibu friends and neighbors I pray that you are safe,” Sorvino, 57, wrote on X, the social media platform formerly Twitter. “We evacuated in the middle of the night, kids and pets all accounted for! Scary times!!”

Related: Dick Van Dyke Admits He’s Starting to Feel Unwell Ahead Of 99th Birthday

Van Dyke’s New Music Video

This came days after Van Dyke starred in the music video for Coldplay’s new song, “All My Love.” The video was actually filmed at the very Malibu home that Van Dyke subsequently had to evacuate. Though the song wasn’t specifically written about Van Dyke, the music video became a look back at his decades-long Hollywood career.

“I’m acutely aware that I could go any day now. But I don’t know why it doesn’t concern me. I’m not afraid of it,” Van Dyke said in the video. “I have that feeling, totally against anything intellectual, that I’m going to be all right.”

“I think I’m one of those lucky people who got to do for a living what I would have done anyway,” he continued. “When you think how lucky I am — I got to do what I do, play and act silly.”

In the video, Van Dyke showed that he’s still got it after all these years by dancing. Indeed, he recreated some of his most legendary moves from Mary Poppins, The Dick Van Dyke Show and more. 

Check out the touching music video for yourself below.

It’s sad that as he prepares to celebrate his landmark 99th birthday, Van Dyke was forced to flee his home. Please join us in saying a prayer for Bobo, and for Van Dyke during this difficult time!