US actor Dick Van Dyke pulled from burning car

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Officer Leland Tang explains what happened to Van Dyke's car (Car photograph courtesy of Twitter.com / Arlene Van Dyke)

The 87-year-old actor Dick Van Dyke has escaped unscathed after his car burst into flames on a freeway in the Los Angeles area.

Passers-by saw him seemingly slumped over in the driver's seat on the shoulder of the Ventura freeway, but actually trying to make a phone call, Van Dyke said.

They "yanked me out of the car" before it went up in flames.

He said he had not realised the Jaguar was on fire.

"It just started making a noise, and I thought I had a flat at first, then it started to smoke, then it burned to a crisp," he told celebrity news site TMZ.

Van Dyke said he was pulled out of his car before it "burned to a crisp"

Van Dyke is best known for his well-loved The Dick Van Dyke Show as well as roles in the musicals Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

A video posted online by Van Dyke's wife, Arlene, showed the charred wreckage of the car.

Van Dyke said that not only had he escaped unhurt, but "there was a fireman, a nurse and a cop just happened to be passing by. Somebody's looking after me".

"Tell 'em I have a nice used car for sale," he told the TMZ reporter.