Smoking Billboard for OutBack SteakHouse Back Fires

A new billboard went up on Interstate 85 in Norcross, Ga. for the OutBack Steakhouse with the tag line "Wood Fire Grill. Good for steaks. Bad for Billboards." The billboard installation included smoke machines to create that fire grilled illusion, pretty cool your thinking, maybe but the 911 operators didn't expect all the calls they got from motorists reporting that the billboard was on fire.

"We are unveiling our new wood fire grill steaks and thought this would be a way to catch drivers attention," said spokesman Hassiba Braggs.

The company said it alerted the Gwinnett County Fire Rescue about the billboard, but according to fire officials, the word was not passed along before both police and fire trucks were dispatched to the area because of calls to 911.