Thousands of people in Malibu, including celebrities like Dick Van Dyke, were placed under evacuation orders after a wildfire sparked near the ritzy California resort city.
The Franklin fire ignited late on Monday night just north of Malibu’s Pepperdine University, according to CalFire. The fast-moving blaze was exacerbated by the Santa Ana Winds blowing up to 40 miles per hour, authorities said.
As of Tuesday night, the fire has burned over 2,800 acres and is still at 0 percent containment, CalFire said in their most recent update at 6:06 p.m. local time.
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A large portion of Malibu was put under evacuation order, covering an estimated 2,000 people. These included billionaires and numerous celebrities who own homes in the picturesque seaside town—including Cher, Dick Van Dyke, and Barbra Streisand.
Van Dyke, the 98-year-old Bye Bye Birdie actor, said he evacuated from his home in the Serra Retreat neighborhood on Tuesday—just three days before his 99th birthday.
“Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” the legendary performer confirmed in a somber post on Facebook, referring also to one of the family’s cats. “We’re praying he’ll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.” He later posted another concerned message alongside a video of the beloved feline: “Hoping Bobo is ok.”
Some residents chose to remain in Serra Retrea—a neighborhood home to other celebs including former Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey—and fight the fires themselves, the Los Angeles Times reported later on Tuesday, attempting to protect the houses in the tony enclave with garden hoses.
Representatives for Cher told The New York Times she evacuated on Tuesday. Representatives for Streisand and Dempsey did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Beast.
Carbon Beach, the ultrawealthy enclave that has earned the nickname “Billionaire’s Beach” in the last few years, was also placed under evacuation order. Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Google, reportedly owns a $48 million beachfront property in the area. Other notable residences include the dilapidated mansion that was sold by Kanye West earlier this year.
In 2023, Jay-Z and Beyonce purchased a mansion in Malibu for about $200 million—reportedly the most expensive house sale in California history. The Carters’ neighborhood has not been given an evacuation order, but was placed under an evacuation warning as of Tuesday night.
A representative for the couple did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
