Murfreesboro IHOP loses $2,000 in food after prank call

MURFREESBORO — Two restaurants received phone calls warning them of a gas leak Monday afternoon, a prank call that cost one of those stores more than $2,000 in wasted food.

According to the police report, Theresa Redish, the manager at the Murfreesboro IHOP got a call around one 1 p.m. Monday by a man who identified himself as “Steven.” The man told her the restaurant had a gas leak and everyone must evacuate the building. He also advised her to use the fire extinguisher and spray everything down to avoid an explosion. Redish did as she was directed, resulting the contamination of more than $2,000 in food.

The Smyrna IHOP also received the same call.

“Apparently someone called in and told them he was from the Smyrna Fire Department,” said Sgt. Bobby Gibson public information officer for the Town of Smyrna Police Department. “He told them to pull the fire alarm and they did and that pretty much shut down operations for a while.”

The caller is believed to be a white male in his 20s with a “country” accent. The phone number was recovered from caller ID and the incident is still under investigation.

"If a business receives an outside phone call or suspects that they might have a gas leak, the first thing they need to do is contact 9-1-1," said Tim Swann, shift commander for Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue. "Dispatch will send the correct agencies to the scene to investigate the leak and mitigate the situation. If there is a concern for the safety of employees, they may be evacuated a safe distance away from the building."

Denise Manning, public information officer for Atmos Energy, said if there really had been a gas leak, there is one good response.

“Get out immediately,” she said.

Manning added that using the fire extinguisher is not something Atmos would ever recommend and would do no good.

“Never. No,” she said. “That’s not even in our vocabulary.”

If you do suspect a gas leak, she said, take the following steps:

Alert others and leave the area immediately.

Leave open any doors you pass through to help ventilate the area, but don't take time to open windows.

Do not operate any electrical switches or equipment, including telephones and flashlights.

Call Atmos Energy at 1-866-322-8667 or 911 from a telephone outside the area. Associates are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Remain away from the area until the gas company declares the area safe.

You can reach Mary at 615-278-51099. You can follow her on Twitter @MaryReevesDNJ.