A back-and-forth price battle between an Amoco and the Sunoco beside it in Powder Springs, Georgia, briefly drove regular gas down to $1.14 a gallon.
For Wartanna Haywood, the markdown turned a typical $90 fill-up for her truck into a $15 stop, though the rush drew police attention, according to WSB-TV.
Here's what to know
The Amoco and neighboring Sunoco on Marietta Street kept lowering prices against each other, drawing large numbers of Cobb County drivers.
With cars backing up into the street, Powder Springs police temporarily shut off access to the pumps.
Speaking with WSB-TV's Tom Jones, an Amoco manager explained that the station keeps its gas price five cents below the competitor next door.
"We'll be like five cents lower than you, and they don't want to agree with that, so now it's a war," the manager remarked.
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A Sunoco manager said the station kept matching Amoco's price. When Jones asked how long the standoff would last, they pointed to the rival station.
"I don't know, sir. You need to ask them," they told Jones.
By the time Wartanna Haywood filled up, regular gas had fallen to $1.14 a gallon. Another driver described watching the sign change again and again.
"When we were here it was set to $1.54. Then it went down again. Then it went down again. It went more — it was $1.44, $1.39."
More background
At that price, Haywood said filling her truck cost just $15 instead of her usual roughly $90.
The scene on Marietta Street was exciting enough that another driver said, "I called my momma, sister, brother."
Although the two Cobb County stations briefly slashing prices made for an interesting local news segment, a bigger issue lurked beneath the story.
Dependence on fossil fuels is driving air and water pollution linked to asthma, heart disease, cancer, and premature death. And while energy costs remain high for households, corporate profits have soared.
The fossil fuel industry also contributes to worsening extreme weather disasters that can destroy homes, livelihoods, and local economies.
Industry lobbying delays cleaner, cheaper energy solutions that would better protect families and cut costs — but as prices surge, many drivers remain stuck with gas-powered cars.
WSB-TV described prices at levels "we haven't seen this low since the 90s."
However, the standoff did not last, and prices rose again.
What's being done?
Once backups around the two stations became unmanageable, Powder Springs police intervened.
With drivers waiting in the street to reach the pumps, an officer yelled, "Everybody leave, goodbye."
Police closed off access to the gas stations until congestion eased. Once traffic thinned out, they let drivers back in.
Officers halted incoming cars because traffic had gotten out of control. They added that, if another gas war happens, they will ask the gas stations to coordinate with law enforcement.
Where can I learn more?
Georgia's brief gas price war put energy costs front and center for drivers. These stories cover gas prices nationwide and rising utility bills tied to coal plants.
• Across America, the painful realities of gas prices keep pushing drivers toward cheaper alternatives.
• In Missouri, power bills soared 191% after communities fought Rush Island's pollution.
• Across the United States, keeping old coal plants alive is costing ratepayers hundreds of millions.
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