A national news story about a hotel fire in Dublin made the headlines twice after a reporter interviewed a random evacuee who just happened to be Henry Winkler, a.k.a. Happy Days' Arthur Fonzarelli.
As in "The Fonz" himself, yes.
Staff and guests were evacuated from the historic Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday around 10:30 a.m. after a hotel guest spotted smoke.
Fortunately, it took firefighters less than an hour to control the fire.
Upon exiting the building, Winkler, who is in Dublin to promote his memoir Being Henry: The Fonz and Beyond, was approached by an RTÉ News reporter and asked about the incident.
Winkler recounted the moment he realized he needed to get out of the hotel.
"I thought somebody had set the alarm before we got there, like another guest."
"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."
You can watch below.
Happy Days: Henry Winkler praises Dublin Fire Brigadeyoutu.be
Not only were passersby thrilled to see Winkler on the street in Dublin, but people at home tuning in to the news were quite entertained, as well.
Of course, people on social media were also relieved to learn that Winkler and the others inside the hotel made it out safely.
Later in the interview, the Barry star expressed his gratitude for the firefighters who worked swiftly to ensure everyone's safety.
“Firemen are some of my favorite human beings. Firemen and firewomen."
"They run in when other people are running out.”
He added:
“I cannot wait to see the rest of Dublin."
Winkler also thanked the firefighters on X, formerly Twitter, writing:
"Thank you Dublin ‘s fire department … our hotel was evacuated on our first morning !!!"
This isn't the first time Winkler has been randomly chosen to be interviewed for a news story.
In 2013, the Emmy winner was stopped by a BBC reporter in London who was asking travelers about plans for a new runway at Heathrow airport.
The Fonz on BBC Newswww.youtube.com
He handled it like a pro both times!
