WASHINGTON — Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke is celebrating his 99th birthday Friday, just days after narrowly escaping a Southern California wildfire.
The "Mary Poppins" star told NBC that neighbors helped him and his wife, Arlene Silver, evacuate from their Malibu home as the fire swept in earlier this week.
Van Dyke explained that he was struggling outside to get his fire hose to work when neighbors showed up just in time.
“This time I messed up," he recounted to NBC. "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. What I did was exhaust myself. I forgot how old I am, and I realized I was crawling to get out,” he said.
“I was trying to crawl to the car. I had exhausted myself. I couldn’t get up,” said Van Dyke. “And three neighbors came and carried me out, and came back and put out a little fire in the guesthouse and saved me.”
The Van Dyke family shared in an update they were able to return to their home Wednesday, which wasn't damaged by the fire.
As part of his 99th birthday celebration, Van Dyke also is starring in a new music video for Coldplay's latest single, "All My Love."
A seven-minute version was released earlier this month, while the official video was posted Friday — on Van Dyke's 99th birthday. According to Variety, the video was filmed at his Malibu home.
It also features interview clips and family archival footage interspersed with shots of Van Dyke's dancing and a big get together with the Hollywood legend's family.
“I’m acutely aware that I could go any day now,” Van Dyke said. “But I don’t know why it doesn’t concern me. I’m not afraid of it. I have that feeling, totally against anything intellectual, that I’m going to be alright.”
