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Dick Van Dyke’s cat Bobo has been found after going missing amid an evacuation for the Malibu wildfires.
The 98-year-old Mary Poppins actor turned to Facebook on Tuesday (December 10) to announce that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, were safe, but they were not able to locate one of their pets. “Arlene and I have safely evacuated with our animals except for Bobo escaped as we were leaving,” he wrote about the cat at the time.
“We’re praying he’ll be ok and that our community in Serra Retreat will survive these terrible fires.”
Many people turned to the comments section assuring Van Dyke that cats are self-sufficient animals that would be capable of surviving for a long period of time.
The actor went on to comment underneath the post to give his followers an update on what happened. “We found Bobo as soon as we arrived back home this morning,” his message began.
“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.”
He also posted an image of Silver holding Bobo alongside two members of animal control.
The Franklin Fire first began on Monday as it scorched more than 4,000 acres and forced 20,000 residents to flee their homes.
The city’s mayor, Doug Stewart, reflected on the fire calling it “a traumatic 20 hours” as emergency operations relocated to Calabasas after the city hall was threatened. He said: “It burns, it grows back, and we’re resilient.”
On Thursday (December 12) Los Angeles County officials announced that firefighters had made substantial progress on fighting the 4,037-acre fire, and containment was up to 20 percent, according to Cal Fire’s Dusty Martin.
The first phase of repopulation, where residents are allowed to begin returning home, will be beginning shortly but mandatory evacuation orders would only be lifted in some areas.
“To those who are still waiting, know that every effort is being made to ensure your safety and your return as soon as possible,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.
Recently, Van Dyke appeared in a music video for the band Cold Play ahead of his 99th birthday on December 13. The video was filmed in his house in Malibu as he reflected on the aging process.
“I’m acutely aware that I could go any day now,” he said. “But I don’t know why it doesn’t concern me. I’m not afraid of it. I have the feeling that I’m gonna be alright.”
Throughout the video Van Dyke also recreated his famous penguin dance from Mary Poppins as well as The Twizzle, from his 1960s television sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show.
