A couple from Fountain Inn, S.C., have caused quite a stir in their neighbourhood after some people mistook their home’s Halloween decorations for a real-life emergency.
Known locally for going all out on spooky season decor, Amanda Riggins Peden and Sam Lee have designed their home’s frightening accents for the last few years to mimic a roaring house fire, using smoke machines and an elaborate light show to create the effect, according to the New York Post.
A TikTok video of the simulated fire, shared earlier this week, has garnered over 27 million views.
The fire department did not specify how many calls were made to the house on the night the video was posted; however, messages to assure neighbours that the home was not burning to the ground failed to reach some, leading to a handful of calls from those unfamiliar with the hyper-realistic visuals.
“Our house will be on fire (not real fire) as Halloween decorations every night from 8-10 PM between now and October 31. Please do not call the fire department again,” Riggins Peden warned on Facebook on Oct. 3.
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Fountain Inn fire Chief Russell Alexander told Today.com: “The first year, we were inundated with phone calls from people driving by the home.”
“This year hasn’t been as bad … we’ve only had a few calls from people who are new to the area,” he continued, adding that his department and the wider community are aware of the decorations.
A few years after the flames first appeared, the department remains in touch with the couple, and every time it receives reports of a fire, it dispatches emergency responders to the home.
“It’s bad practice to not send a truck and, ethically, I can’t take that liability,” Alexander said. “If we get a call, we’re sending a truck, no matter what.”
He added that people with realistic-looking Halloween decorations should let their local emergency services know.
Despite some alarm, the majority of people seem to enjoy the carefully crafted embellishments, Riggins Peden told Today.com.
“Most people appreciate it, but you’ve got the one percent who are never happy with anything,” Lee, who lives in the home with Riggins Peden and her 15-year-old son, told the news outlet.
“There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like it,” Riggins Peden added.
Comments on the video, which has garnered 25 million views as of publication, reveal mixed reactions to the hair-raising trimmings.
“Bet 911 loves you this time of the year lol,” one Facebook user wrote.
“Very cool! But looks very realistic! I would have been one of the people calling as well,” another person wrote.
Every year, Lee and Riggins Peden fill a coffin full of candy for their neighbours to grab from, and in 2022, they fashioned a fake car wreck on their lawn; the year prior, they staged a plane crash, Today.com said.
Each October, the couple drive around town in a hearse and funds a free community pumpkin patch, which offers more than 2,000 pumpkins to local families.
“It’s a small way to give back to our community,” Lee said.
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