A fire broke out at Dublin's Shelbourne Hotel on Wednesday morning, forcing guests and staff to be evacuated from the 265-room hotel.

Actor Henry Winkler, known for playing 'Fonzie' in the iconic American TV show Happy Days, was staying at the hotel after his flight was delayed.

The actor, 78, gave a detailed interview to RTE, which went viral on social media.

""I thought somebody had set the alarm before we got there, like another guest. 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."

Winkler was described as kind and charming by other guests.

After the evacuation, he shook hands with firefighters from the Dublin Fire Brigade.

"Firemen are some of my favourite human beings, firemen and firewomen. They run in when other people are running out. I think their hands deserve to be shook," he told RTE.

The Dublin Fire Brigade managed to contain the fire at the Shelbourne Hotel after the immediate evacuation.

The actor said he "cannot wait to see the rest of Dublin."

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