Dick Van Dyke, Cher and Barbra Streisand are among the thousands of Malibu residents forced to abandon their homes as wildfires rage through Southern California.
Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday, evacuated his $8 million hillside home to safety with his wife, Arlene Silver, but was forced to leave his beloved cat behind in the commotion. It was announced on Facebook that it was no longer available.
“Arlene and I evacuated safely with the animals, but Bobo ran away when we left.” Written by the legendary actor.
“We pray that he is safe and that our community of Serra Retreat survives this terrible fire.”
Star of “Mary Poppins” shared a 39 second video In a follow-up post, he posted a photo of his precious orange cat playing in the garden and wrote the caption, “I hope Bobo is okay.”
The raging inferno, known as the Franklin Fire, was first reported as a small wildfire around 10:45 p.m. Monday, before jumping the Pacific Coast Highway and roads to the ocean, prompting mandatory evacuation orders. .
The blaze, fanned by strong winds, moved into the Serra Retreat area around 1am on Tuesday, threatening buildings.
The house across the street from where Van Dyke lives reportedly burned down. ABC News reportedadded that the “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” actor's home escaped the fire.
Cher also fled to safety with her pets on Monday night. The New York Times reportedher publicist confirmed that the “Believe” hitmaker was sheltering in place at a hotel.
Streisand's team is still waiting to hear whether the two-time Oscar winner has been evacuated, the newspaper said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire had spread to more than 2,800 acres and was nearly completely contained.
About 6,000 people and 2,000 structures have been ordered to evacuate the area, which is dotted with mansions, and at least 8,100 homes and buildings are believed to be at risk.
The blaze is fanned by erratic gusts from the Santa Ana winds, which can blow up to 40 mph almost imperceptibly. The winds are expected to continue until Wednesday.
