Dick Van Dyke remembers escaping the raging Franklin Fire in Malibu

MALIBU, Calif. – Popular actor Dick Van Dyke recalled how he escaped the raging Franklin Fire that raged through Malibu this week thanks to the help of his quick-thinking neighbors.

Van Dyke, who turns 99 on Friday, recalled seeing the flames spread to a hill near his home this week. While he has experienced four wildfires in the past, “this time I wasn’t ready,” he told NBC News.

“I messed up this time. … I have a fire hose that connects to my pool and shoots a 70 foot jet of water. Well, I wasn’t ready yet. I went out. It was broken and I’m laying out there on the ground trying to untie this fire hose and the fire is coming over the hill. I’ve exhausted myself. I forgot how old I was and realized I had to crawl to get out,” he said.

“It came from the other side of the hill – you could see it,” he said.

As he struggled, three neighbors came to help him.

“I tried to crawl to the car. I was exhausted and couldn’t get up. Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back,” he said.

Van Dyke said the neighbors carried him to the car and he quickly got in with his wife and pets. He praised the neighbors for saving his life.

“(They) got me out of here, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. I don’t think I would have made it,” he said. “They came back too and my little guesthouse at the back started burning in flames. That’s what they put out. So they saved my life and my house.”

Video from his doorbell camera showed the moment he was evacuated with his wife, Arlene, and their pets. They went for a night to a hotel in Santa Monica, where he had performed in 1948.

Van Dyke praised the firefighters who battled the blaze as “incredible.”

“They took me out of here and immediately doused my house with water and the fire just overwhelmed them. They must be exhausted, these guys, but they deserve every award they can get,” he said.

Van Dyke said the only damage to his home was the guest house.

According to the city of Malibu, the Franklin Fire, which started Monday evening, had burned 4,037 acres and was 7% contained as of Thursday morning. The fire has destroyed nine buildings and closed roads, and 20,000 people are under evacuation orders and evacuation warnings.

The actress Jane Seymour was also affected. She posted dramatic photos of the flames near her home.

“As the Franklin Fire continues to burn in Malibu and has come very close to our home, we remain evacuated and safe,” she wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “Thank you to everyone who is fighting the flames and keeping us safe. Your courage is extraordinary.”

Dana Griffin reported from Malibu and Marlene Lenthang reported from Los Angeles.