Legendary Hollywood actor Dick Van Dyke hasn’t evacuated from his Malibu home after out-of-control wildfires forced some residents of Los Angeles and the surrounding area to flee in recent days.
Van Dyke, 99, and his wife Arlene Silver, 53, chose to shelter in place despite the electricity and gas line being shut off.
They are using a car to charge devices and her camper to cook food.
“Keeping Dick warm and entertained has been the two things that have been my top priority,” Silver told his Van Dyke’s during an Instagram Live broadcast on Sunday.
Van Dyke, who starred in Hollywood classics Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and also hosted The Dick Van Dyke Show during the 1960s, has adapted to the lack of resources.
Silver explained it made more sense to take care of her husband where they live rather than uproot their lives and take shelter elsewhere.
“Dick is more comfortable here than anywhere else,” she said. “It’s easier to take care of him here.”
There are four fires currently burning in the Los Angeles area. At least 25 people have been killed and thousands of homes, businesses and other structures destroyed.
Residents are bracing for winds to pick up again and spread the flames.
Silver described her husband as a “trooper” for being able to adjust to their current reality and not make a big fuss.
“I don’t know of any other person of, you know, senior citizen age that would put up with this.”
The couple, married since 2012, have kept themselves entertained by watching movies on their DVD player, which included Van Dyke enjoying the holiday classic Elf starring Will Ferrell for the first time.
Later in the broadcast, Van Dyke is seen looking for his wife. She told him that their fans were getting an update about the situation they are facing.
“I haven’t left Dick alone in seven years,” she said. “I’m happy about it. I’m his security blanket. Anytime I’m gone, he comes looking for me.”