Actor Henry Winkler, remembered by many for playing Fonzie on the ’70s sitcom “Happy Days,” was evacuated from the historic Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin last week when a fire broke out on the property.
“When I heard the fire alarm, I thought it was the clock radio. I thought somebody had set the alarm before we got there, like another guest,” Winkler told the Irish news outlet RTÉ.
“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,” he said.
The fire alarm had gone off about 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Winkler was seen thanking local firefighters outside the hotel.
Henry Winkler, best known as TV’s ‘The Fonz’ was a guest at The Shelbourne and was seen thanking members of @DubFireBrigade for their work.
He said he was woken by what he thought was an alarm clock this morning, when he realised it was the fire alarm going off @rtenews pic.twitter.com/WNWZOvhKag— Eleanor Burnhill (@ElMcM) June 12, 2024
“You know what? How wonderful! Firemen are some of my favorite human beings – firemen and firewomen,” he said. “They run in when other people are running out. I think they deserve to be shook [by the hand].”
The fire in his hotel wasn’t the first travel hiccup on Winkler’s trip.
“We came last night. Our plane was delayed in London for about 3½ hours. This morning we got up and evacuated,” Winkler told RTÉ .
“It was an amazing adventure right here in Dublin,” the actor said. “I cannot wait to see the rest of Dublin.”
RTÉ reported that Dublin firefighters got the blaze under control within an hour. It had started in a roof space above a sixth-floor bedroom.
District Officer Colm Kershaw of the Dublin Fire Brigade said there was minimal damage to the hotel.
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 landmark Shelbourne Hotel dates back to 1824 and is known as ‘The Grand Dame’ of Dublin,” RTE reported.
Winkler was in Ireland to promote his autobiography, “Being Henry: The Fonz … and Beyond,” released in October as the Hollywood icon was celebrating his 78th birthday, Entertainment Tonight reported.
Joining the firefighters here in Dublin !!!! What a bunch pic.twitter.com/b8VZnEA82N
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) June 13, 2024
In addition to his 11 seasons on “Happy Days,” Winkler is known for his appearances in the Adam Sandler movies “The Water Boy” (1998) as Coach Klein and “Click” (2006) as the father of Sandler’s character.
Most recently, Winkler appeared as a main character in the HBO series “Barry” starring “Saturday Night Live” alum Bill Hader.