Dick Van Dyke Reveals How Neighbors ‘Saved’ Him After Malibu Wildfire Broke Out

Dick Van Dyke was among the 20,000 people ordered to evacuate the Franklin Fire in Malibu, California, on Tuesday, and credits his neighbors with helping him get to safety.

The “Mary Poppins” star, who turned 99 on Friday, told NBC News that when he saw the wildfire nearing his home, he ran out to grab a fire hose but had “messed up” by not having it prepared ahead of time.

The hose was “snarled,” and Van Dyke found himself lying on the ground attempting to untangle it.

“What I did was exhaust myself,” he said. “I forgot how old I am, and I realized I was crawling to get out.”

The beloved actor said he “couldn’t get up” as he saw the fire approaching over a nearby hill. That’s when his neighbors came to his aid.

“Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a little fire in the guesthouse and saved me,” he said. “Thank God for them.”

Otherwise, he said, “I don’t think I would have made it.”

Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene Silver, were able to evacuate with all of their pets except for a cat named Bobo, who “escaped” as they were leaving, according to a Tuesday post on Van Dyke’s Facebook page.

“We’re praying he’ll be ok,” the post said.

They located Bobo, unhurt, when they arrived back to their home the next morning.

“There was so much interest in his disappearance that Animal Control was called in to assist,” an update to the post said. “But, thankfully he was easy to find and not harmed.”

An accompanying image showed a smiling Silver holding the orange tabby, who seemed less than impressed with having to pose for a photo.