Dick Van Dyke reunites with three generations of his family following wildfire scare – see photos
17 December 2024, 13:33
The Mary Poppins actor turned 99 on Friday, days after having to flee his home because of a wildfire.
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Dick Van Dyke has reunited with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to celebrate his 99th birthday.
The American actor’s son took to social media to share photos of the family’s reunion, while opening up about how difficult it was for everyone to come together because of the recent Franklin wildfire which threatened Dick’s Californian home.
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“It wasn’t easy getting to Grandpa’s [on] Friday for his 99th birthday celebration!” Barry Van Dyke’s Facebook caption read. “
The roads were still closed because of the Franklin fire, but Carrie, Kevin, Wes, Kyla and I made it through.
“Thankfully his house was saved. We had a great time singing along with his Coldplay video ‘All My Love’ which was released that day, and eating fudge! Great time with my Dad and Arlene. Grandpa was all smiles!” Barry’s post added.
Around 20,000 people were evacuated from the Malibu area as the Franklin fire swept through from Monday, December 9.
Interviewed by KABC news, Dick shared that he, his wife Arlene Silver and their pets had been helped to evacuate their home by neighbours on Tuesday 10.
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“They had to pick me up and carry me to the car,” he told reporters, describing how he’d “exhausted” himself trying to unwrap a firehose in his garden in an attempt to defend his home.
“I forgot how old I am,” Dick shared, adding: “Three neighbours came and carried me out and came back and put out a little fire in the guesthouse and saved me. Thank God for them.”
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Thankfully, as Barry confirmed, Dick’s home was spared from the fire, and he was able to return with his family and pets to welcome others to his birthday party on Friday, December 13.
One welcome gift waiting for him at home was the safe return of one of his cats, Bobo, who had escaped before they could get him to safety during the fire evacuation.
