A fire broke out at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, with staff and guests including Happy Days star Henry Winkler, being evacuated from the premises yesterday morning.
The US actor who was known for playing 'The Fonz' on the show, was among the guests who were removed from the premises, as Dublin Fire Brigade got the fire under control.
Just before 11am yesterday morning, the fire was reported on St Stephen's Green, with a road closure placed between St Stephen's Green North and Kildare Street while emergency services dealt with the investigation.
Gardaí were also called to the scene, assisted by Dublin Fire Brigade, with a spokesperson explaining that no injuries were reported.
Speaking to reporters following the evacuation, Henry Winkler revealed that he initially thought that the fire alarm was just an alarm clock.
“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", he said.
Winkler continued: “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".
Paying tribute to the fire brigade, Winkler added: “You know what, how wonderful are firemen? Some of my favourite human beings, firemen and firewomen".
“They run in when other people are running out. I think they deserve to (have their hands) shook".
Elsewhere, Dublin Fire Brigade also said that the evacuation "helped enormously" in dealing with this incident.
They said: “Firefighters were called to a fire in a premises on St Stephen's Green at 10.38 this morning The fire is under control with an effective evacuation helping enormously".
Dublin Fire Brigade also added that the fire was eventually brought under control by 11.30pm, with the operation finishing up just before 12pm.
Following some delays, traffic restrictions were also lifted.
