Henry Winkler must not be a notable name in Ireland.
Winkler, 78, was staying at The Shelbourne hotel in Dublin on Wednesday, June 12, when he had to evacuate due to a fire. Local Dublin outlets reported that a fire started on the hotel’s fifth floor Wednesday morning, and guests started to evacuate the building.
“I thought somebody had set the alarm before we got there, like another guest,” Winkler told RTE News. “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.”
Continuing to speak with the Irish outlet, Winkler praised firemen and firewomen as some of his “favorite human beings.” He added, “They run in when other people are running out.”
It appeared the Irish journalist thought she had been interviewing a typical hotel guest rather than the famed actor. Winkler then told members of the Irish press that he arrived in Dublin the night before after a delay in London.
“This morning, we got up and evacuated,” he continued. “It was an amazing adventure right here in Dublin. I cannot wait to see the rest of Dublin.”
Following the incident, Winkler snapped a photo with some of the first responders, uploading the image via Instagram.
“Dublin’s finest does a great job when our hotel is evacuated on our first morning !!!!” Winkler captioned Wednesday’s social media post. In a second photo, posted on Thursday, June 13, the actor was dressed in fire safety gear.
“Had a visit with the great firefighters of Dublin,” he wrote alongside the snap.
Winkler’s rep told People on Wednesday that “all is well” with the actor. “He is doing a show tonight in Dublin,” the statement continued.
Winkler is currently on a European tour to promote his Being Henry: The Fonz … and Beyond memoir, which was released in October 2023. Most recently the actor starred as Gene Cousineau in Barry from 2018 to 2023.
When I read the last script, I had to really pull my jaw back up to my mouth,” Winkler told Us Weekly exclusively ahead of the Barry series finale, which aired in May 2023. “I’m telling you, it is amazing.”
He added: “I don’t know how fans will [feel after the finale], I feel sad because I love those people — and I didn’t even get to act with most of them.”
