The Coast Guard is looking for whoever was responsible for shooting off flares near Willard Beach in South Portland and Casco Bay last month.

The Coast Guard says the red flares set off on Dec. 27 and 28 signaled false alarms and wasted resources.

In all, three false alarms ended up costing the Coast Guard more than $28,000 over the course of a search that spanned more than 80 miles.

Faking a sign of distress can result in prison time and fines.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Coast Guard.