NORCROSS, Ga. --
More than 100 guests were forced to leave their hotel rooms early Monday morning after a gas leak -- caused by a guest.
A driver backed into a gas meter in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Select on Peachtree Industrial in Norcross.
Officials said it took two hours before Atlanta Gas Light crews were able to get the leak under control.
The ruptured gas pipe forced Gwinnett County firefighters to evacuate 75 occupied rooms at the Holiday Inn Select.
"About 100 to 120 people were evacuated just for about 20-25 minutes while firefighters worked to control the leak," said Capt. Tommy Rutledge with the Gwinnett Fire Department.
The incident happened when someone who was trying to park accidentally jumped the curb.
"When a vehicle was backing up in the parking lot, it struck the gas meter against the building," said Rutledge.
For at least the first hour, Atlanta Gas Light crews worked to fix the leak. But HAZMAT crews started detecting the odor of natural gas seeping inside the hotel and that's when they ordered the guests to leave.
"They were beginning to receive pockets of gas that was building up inside the hotel building and that prompted the evacuation," said Rutledge.
Firefighters tested the level of fumes inside each room before allowing guests to go back inside.
Rutledge said they were able to evacuate about 80 percent of the hotel before Atlanta Gas Light capped the pipe.
Hotel Evacuated After Guest Hits Gas MeterCopyright 2009 by . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
