News Scrap

California has been hit by another devastating wildfire.

The Franklin Fire began on Monday, December 9 and, according to The New York Times, has already destroyed nearly 4000 acres of land in Malibu.

The coastal community is home to a number of celebrities, some of whom have taken to social media or have had representatives speak on their behalf after fans raised concerns over their safety.

Dick Van Dyke was among those forced to evacuate, today sharing a hopeful update on his situation. 

READ MORE: Beloved entertainer’s death announced in heartbreaking post

The 99-year-old actor had earlier taken to Facebook to explain that he and his wife had “safely evacuated”, taking their animals with them, except their cat Bobo, who had escaped and ran off as they were leaving.

“We’re praying he’ll be OK and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires,” he wrote.

Shortly after, he shared a video of Bobo, an orange tabby cat, along with the caption “hoping Bobo is OK.”

Now, after worried fans flooded Van Dyke’s comments section with messages of support and hope for Bobo’s safety, the actor has shared an update.

“We found Bobo as soon as we arrived back home this morning,” he wrote in the comments section of the original post, sharing an image of a safe but shaken Bobo.

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

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Dick Van Dyke's cat Bobo has been found safely by Animal Control

Photos taken of Van Dyke’s home the day after his original post show his house and property unharmed by the fire.

Witnesses told KABC-TV the home neighbouring Van Dyke’s had caught fire, however his remained untouched at the time of publishing. 

Cher, who also lives in the vicinity has moved with her pets to a hotel.

“Cher was required to evacuate her home and did so in the very early hours of Tuesday morning,” a rep for the star told People. “She thankfully is safe.”

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Cher

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who lives a little further out of the area has been instructed to go into lockdown rather than evacuate.

“We’re in lockdown because of the Malibu fires. Please stay safe everyone,” he wrote in a statement shared to Instagram.

”I’m not allowed to leave the house, which fits in perfectly with my elderly-recluse lifestyle,” added the 73-year-old.

Other celebrities that live in the area include Barbara Streisand, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Nicolas Cage and Jonah Hill. 

Cher and Van Dyke are just a few among the thousands being forced to evacuate their homes as the Franklin Fire tore through the Malibu Canyon.

Majority of the area is under a mandatory evacuation order, with authorities last reporting at the time of publishing that the blaze was only seven per cent contained.

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Franklin Fire Malibu, California wildfire

As of Wednesday night, thousands of Southern California homes remain without power. 

Some 1500 firefighters have been sent to fight the blaze, with California Governor, Gavin Newsom, sharing that federal assistance has also been made available. 

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, however at the time it started the region was under a red-flag warning, meaning that the conditions were ripe for an extreme fire. 

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