Television fans have been left gobsmacked after a man who was interviewed following a fire in Dublin was actually a Hollywood legend.
On Wednesday morning (June 12), a fire began to take hold at the luxurious Shelbourne hotel in Dublin city centre. As a result, the hotel was evacuated whilst emergency services dealt with the blaze.
As the hotel is famed for its grandeur, pomp and pageantry, local media was stunned at the surprise fire and rushed to the scene to speak to people who were being evacuated. Irish public broadcaster RTÉ was first to reach the hotel and began to get the reactions of some of those who had booked a room when the fire began.
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However, what stunned viewers was that one of the people who had been saved from the blaze was a Hollywood icon, known to many people. In one clip, the journalist spoke to a man – who was later discovered to be Henry Winkler – with his reaction to the fire garnering a huge response from fans.
(Image: RTÉ News)
He explained that he was in great spirits following the incident, despite haven been woken up by the blaring alarm urging guests to leave the hotel. He also took some time to thank the emergency services for the work they did to extinguish the fire.
“When I heard the fire alarm, I thought it was the clock radio,” Winkler told the public broadcaster. “I thought somebody had set the alarm before we got there, like another guest.”
Winkler continued: “Finally, I went into another room and it was still buzzing, so I called downstairs. The woman said in a very calm voice, ‘Yes, we’re all evacuating. You must evacuate right now.’ And I left.”
(Image: RTÉ News)
The actor, who is best known for his role in Happy Days as his iconic character The Fonz, admitted that he had only been asleep for a couple of hours when the alarm sounded. But despite only getting a few hours kip, he was seen joking and laughing with fellow guests and the emergency services.
He finished: “It was an amazing adventure right here in Dublin. I cannot wait to see the rest of Dublin.”
Henry’s positive mental attitude won the hearts of the nation in Ireland and abroad, as many social media users flocked to make their feelings heard. “Don’t care about the other patrons; as long as Henry Winkler is safe – he is to be protected at all costs,” one fan penned.
(Image: Getty Images)
A second user added: “One of the best people on God’s green earth. Ireland might have become an international pariah if we’d killed Henry Winkler.”
However, this is not the first time that the acting icon had been ambushed by reporters on the news. In 2013, Henry was stopped by the BBC to be asked for his thoughts on a potential third runway for London Heathrow Airport.
After he was approached by the journalist, he explained that was unfortunately not a UK resident. However, he said he believed the expansion of the airport would help boost the city’s “economy”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
