Dublin

Dublin’s Shelbourne hotel evacuated after fire on premises

Six fire engines respond to incident at historic building on St Stephen’s Green

Emergency services respond to the fire at the hotel. Photograph: Alan Betson/Irish Times

Katie Mellett
Wed Jun 12 2024 - 12:42

Staff and guests had to vacate the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin city centre after a fire broke out on Wednesday morning.

Dublin Fire Brigade was called at 10.38am to reports of a fire in the landmark building on St Stephen’s Green.

Six fire tenders from Tara Street, Donnybrook and Dolphin’s Barn fire stations responded to the incident, and firefighters located the fire on the fifth floor of the building.

The fire was under control by 11.30am, the fire brigade said.

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Firefighting operations ended at 11.58am, and traffic restrictions that were in place were lifted soon after.

There were no reports of any injuries. American actor Henry Winkler, best known for playing the Fonz in US TV show Happy Days, was among the guests who had to leave the hotel after the blaze.

Staff and guests were evacuated from the building. Photograph: Alan Betson / Irish Times

The hotel in central Dublin was founded in 1824. Mentioned in Ulysses, it is one of the country’s most prominent hotels, playing host to social, cultural and sporting events through its history.

Famous guests down the years include Hollywood stars Greta Garbo, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

John F Kennedy stayed there during an official visit in June 1963 as president of the United States. Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco were also frequent guests.

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