Imagine watching a local news report about a hotel fire and realizing that the older gentleman news reporters decided to interview was The Fonz.
That’s exactly what happened in Dublin last week, when Henry Winkler, the 78-year-old Hollywood actor known for making Arthur Fonzarelli a household name from the 1970s into the 1980s and beyond, was one of the guests who were forced to evacuate from The Shelbourne. Opened in 1824 in the heart of Dublin, the luxury 5-star hotel is currently part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection.
Fire!
During the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 12th, emergency services were called to rush to the famous Shelbourne Hotel in Ireland’s capital after a fire broke out.
Guests and staff evacuated the premises, as firefighters combated the blaze coming from the 265-room five-star hotel.
Firefighters were called to a fire in a premises on St Stephen's Green at 1038 this morning
The fire is under control with an effective evacuation helping enormously
Six fire engines including a turntable ladder and emergency tender remain on scene
Traffic restrictions in area pic.twitter.com/qaTLfT4M9u
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) June 12, 2024
Of course, local news reporters quickly arrived on the scene, and one news outlet decided to speak to some of the guests who had been affected by the incident.
The interview
They happened to interview an older American man, who, as it turned out, happened to be a Hollywood icon who happened to be visiting Dublin while on vacation.
Henry Winkler, known for his work in film, TV and comedy, is best known for playing The Fonz in Happy Day from 1974 through 1984. He’s also been featured in movies such as The Waterboy and Click alongside Adam Sandler.
The actor and his wife were shocked awake by the alarm, but Winkler appeared to be in high spirits when the reporter asked him about what happened.
Speaking to RTE News, the star claimed that he ‘thought it was the clock radio’ at first.
Winkler continued: “I thought somebody had set the alarm before we got there, like another guest. Finally, I went into another room and it was still buzzing, so I called downstairs.
“The woman said in a very calm voice, ‘Yes, we’re all evacuating. You must evacuate right now’. And I left.”
Winkler’s flight to Ireland had apparently been delayed, so he had reportedly only arrived at The Shelbourne late on Tuesday night. But he was a trooper and seemed perky; video shows him smiling at other guests and staying positive despite the circumstances (and his lack of slee.
He continued: “Firemen are some of my favorite human beings, firemen and firewomen. They run in when other people are running out. I think their hands deserve to be shook.
“It was an amazing adventure right here in Dublin. I cannot wait to see the rest of Dublin.”
Here’s some video of the interview:
He loved the firemen so much in fact, that he posted a photo with a few of them to post on Twitter (a.k.a. X), captioning it: “Thank you Dublin’s fire department … our hotel was evacuated on our first morning!!!”
Thank you Dublin ‘s fire department … our hotel was evacuated on our first morning !!! pic.twitter.com/kyByb5VSoM
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) June 12, 2024
The next day he visited the fire station and was given a tour of their headquarters:
He was given a tour of our headquarters and had time for a quick video 👀 pic.twitter.com/A6Tt5QKrNm
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) June 13, 2024
Winkler continued on his vacation soon thereafter, apparently no worse for wear.
As for the hotel, the Dublin Fire Brigade said, ““A prompt and effective evacuation by staff helped enormously at the scene and the fire was brought under control by 1130 hrs,” the fire brigade said in a statement. “Firefighting operations ceased at 1158 hrs and traffic restrictions are expected to be lifted shortly.”
Management at The Shelbourne confirmed it was a small electric fire.
“The safety of our guests and employees is always our first priority. The incident was promptly dealt with by the Dublin Fire Brigade and our on-site safety and security team. Guests have now returned and the hotel has resumed normal operations.”
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