(DAPHNE, SARALAND, Ala.) June 7 - Police are looking for a prankster causing a lot of damage to area hotel rooms-- by calling guests about fake emergencies.
At the Comfort Suites in Saraland, guests were told to break windows because of gas leaks. In Daphne, guests were told about a fake fire.
Early Saturday morning, a Comfort Suites guest got a call from a man claiming to be from an alarm company. He told the guest there
"The caller then told the guest he needed to break this small glass tube to activate the sprinkler," Damita Cook a manager at Comfort Suites says, "And by doing so he caused thousands of dollars worth of damage in a matter of minutes.
Eleanor Brown had just checked in when the guest got the call.
"You don't expect something like this to happen. The guest just panicked. I just heard the man in the room to me yell"
Brown says minutes later the fire department showed up... with no flames to put out... Instead they helped hotel workers soak up the soggy mess. In total, eight rooms received water damage.
Fire marshal Chip Martin says this should be a cautionary tale for all local hotels.
"For one, the alarm company or fire department are not going to call you on the phone to tell you there's an emergency. We're going to come out in person."
"It's a shame that this has to happen, especially with the economy the way it is and sales are down already, Cook said.
If the caller's caught, he or she will face criminal charges.
