Dick Van Dyke remembers escaping the raging Franklin fire in Malibu

MALIBU, Calif. – Beloved actor Dick Van Dyke recalled how he escaped the fast-moving Franklin Fire is racing through Malibu this week, thanks to the help of his quick-thinking neighbors.

The screen legend, who turns 99 on Friday, recalled seeing the flames encroach on a hill near his home this week. While he’s already been through four wildfires in the past, this time, “I wasn’t ready,” he told NBC News.

“This time I messed up … I have a fire hose that connects to my pool and shoots like a 70 foot stream of water. Well, I wasn’t ready. I went out. It got snarled and I’m out there on the ground trying to untie this fire hose and the fire is coming over the hill. What I did was exhaust myself. I forgot how old I am and I realized I was crawling to get out,” he recalled.

“It came from over the hill, you could see it,” he said.

As he struggled, three neighbors came out 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 explained.

Van Dyke said neighbors carried him to the car and he and his wife and pet quickly got inside. He praised these neighbors for saving his life.

“(They) got me out of here or I wouldn’t have done it. I don’t think I would have made it,” he said. “They also came back, and my little guest house had started to catch fire behind it. They posted that. So they saved my life and my house.”

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

Van Dyke praised firefighters who tackled the blaze as “unbelievable”.

“They got me out of here and poured water on my house right away and that fire just overwhelmed them. They must be exhausted, those guys, but they deserve any recognition they can get,” he said.

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

The Franklin Fire, which broke out Monday night, has burned 4,037 acres and is 7% contained, as of Thursday morning, according to town of Malibu. So far, the fire has destroyed nine structures, closed roads, and about 20,000 citizens are under evacuation orders and warnings.

Actress Jane Seymour was also affected by the fire. She posted dramatic images of the flames near her home.

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

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

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com