Henry Winkler evacuated from Dublin hotel during fire

13 June, 2024

Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler, who played The Fonz on US sitcom Happy Days, has thanked firefighters for assisting him and other guests who were evacuated from a hotel in Dublin.

Winkler, 78, was staying at the Shelbourne Hotel on Wednesday when the fire service was called to help deal with a fire on the fifth floor.

The actor, who was in Ireland to promote his memoir, told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that he initially thought an alarm clock was going off, but soon realised it was the fire alarm.

“I thought somebody had set the alarm before we got there, like another guest,” the actor explained. “And finally I went into another room and it was still buzzing, so I called downstairs and the woman said, in a very calm voice, ‘Yes, we’re all evacuating, you must evacuate right now.’ And I left.”

Winkler took to his official X account to thank the firefighters involved, posting a group selfie with them, alongside the caption: “Thank you Dublin’s fire department…our hotel was evacuated on our first morning!!!”

Earlier today, Winkler posted another photograph of himself dressed in firefighter uniform, posing in front of a fire truck with the caption: “Joining the firefighters here in Dublin!!!! What a bunch”.

In RTÉ’s broadcast, he praised the work of the firefighters who assisted at the incident, saying: “You know what, how wonderful. Firemen are some of my favourite human beings. Firemen and firewomen.”

“They run in when other people are running out,” he continued. “I think their hands deserve to be shook.”

According to The Independent, Dublin Fire Brigade’s Colm Kershaw confirmed that all the residents of the city centre hotel were evacuated safely, and that the fire caused minimal damage.

“The crews got up there fairly quick and got water on it. We had the floor isolated, and we got it out fairly quick,” he shared.

In other Dublin news, The Killers kicked off their 2024 ‘Rebel Diamonds’ greatest hits tour in Dublin last night (June 12).

The show took place at 3Arena, and featured a 22-song setlist, including fan-favourite tracks such as ‘Somebody Told Me’ and ‘Spaceman’.

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