Someone called a Burger King in Oklahoma, said he was remotely monitoring their gas suppression system, told the staff they had minutes before a catastrophic explosion, and instructed them to break every window in the building immediately to prevent it.They believed him.
They grabbed tire irons.
They smashed everything they could reach.
They were trying to save each other’s lives.
There was no gas.
There was no system.
There was no explosion.
There was just a man on a phone who knew enough terminology to sound like someone who should be listened to in an emergency.He had clearly practiced.The same call had already hit Minnesota. It would later hit California. In one location a manager could not break the windows fast enough by hand and drove his vehicle through the front of the building.He was not panicking.
He was problem-solving.
A stranger on the phone had given him a problem and he was solving it with his car.What every location had in common:
Employees who acted immediately
Employees who acted together
Employees who genuinely believed they were preventing deaths
Zero gas leaks across all locations
Significant window replacement bills across all locations
One car currently being assessed for structural damage
Said a regional manager upon reviewing the incident reports across three states: “They all did exactly what they were told. Because they thought people were going to die. That is the part that stays with you.”The caller has not been identified.
The windows have been replaced.
The employees have been cleared of wrongdoing.
The car situation remains complicated.