[As some readers will know, I’m a big fan of Halloween, so I especially like it when stories appear each year about elaborate holiday displays that prompt passersby to respond as if the depicted event is real. This story is from People, where it includes a different image and a short video. See coverage from USA Today for another video, a photo gallery, and more information including this:
“[Sam] Lee said it has taken him years to nail down the most realistic fire house. When asked how he does it, he declined to share the details. ‘’You can easily Google it and find out how it’s done,’ he said with a laugh, apologizing for not being more forthcoming. Lee did confirm, however, that he uses a professional smoke machine, which he said sets his display apart from other fire houses. He said people may think he uses a projector inside the house for the flames at the windows, but he doesn’t. That’s all he was willing to share.”
–Matthew]
[Image: Sam Lee and Amanda Riggins Peden are known in Fountain Inn, South Carolina for their big Halloween decorations. This year, the couple’s house appears to be engulfed in flames through an amazing illusion. Credit: Sam Lee. Source: USA Today.]
Fire Department ‘Inundated’ with Calls Reporting Home in Flames, but It’s Just a Halloween Illusion: ‘Should Be Illegal’
“Our house will be on fire (not real fire),” homeowner Amanda Peden wrote in a Facebook post
A couple’s extraordinary and realistic-looking Halloween display has gone viral with online users — but also prompted phone calls to the local fire department.
Amanda Peden of Fountain Inn, S.C., shared a video to Facebook on Friday, Oct. 3, that appeared to show the burning home she shares with fiancé Sam Lee with flames visible through the windows and smoke billowing from the property.
However, Peden emphasized in the post that it’s just an illusion timed to Halloween.
“Our house will be on fire (not real fire) as Halloween decorations every night from 8-10 PM between now and October 31,” Peden wrote. “Please do not call the fire department again! 512 N Main St in Fountain Inn if you want to see it!”
In an interview with Today published on Tuesday, Oct. 7, Peden and Lee said the Halloween setup is basically a smoky light show created with special effects that suggests their home is ablaze. While the illusion is happening on the outside, the couple are safely inside their home.
“We watch TV and keep our regular lights on,” Peden told Today. “The windows are loud, though.”
Peden and Lee’s over-the-top Halloween decorations have been a tradition in Fountain Hill for the last five years, Greenville News reported. The “burning home” display is similar to a stunt the couple pulled two years ago.
Lee is hesitant to say how he exactly created the spooky burning illusion, telling Greenville News, “You can easily Google it and find out how it’s done.”
Meanwhile, Peden’s Facebook post has since become a hit, generating 68,000 likes and 88,000 reshares, plus various reactions in the comments section.
“Bet 911 loves you this time of the year lol,” wrote one user.
“That’s awesome!” said another.
“Can’t wait to show my kiddo!” one person chimed in.
But some felt that the display is too real and potentially misleading, including one commenter who wrote, “It does look cool, but that honestly should be illegal.”
“You need to post some big signs around your yard because people from outside the area will have no clue this isn’t real!” someone advised the couple.
Lee acknowledged the concerns about the decor, telling Today, “Most people appreciate it, but you’ve got the one percent who are never happy with anything.”
The display’s realism has caught the attention of the Fountain Hill Fire Department, prompting multiple emergency calls from unaware concerned people.
“The first year [of the display], we were inundated with phone calls from people driving by the home,” Fountain Inn Fire Chief Russell Alexander previously told Today.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Alexander says that so far this month, his department has received approximately four calls about the “burning house.”
“They’ve done a pretty good job of trying to get it out on social media: ‘Hey, please don’t call the fire department. Our house is not on fire,’ ” he says about the couple.
However, he adds that although the department is aware about the holiday decorations, if his crew does get an emergency call about the home, he’ll still send a truck over regardless.
“There’s always that slight chance of a lamp shorted out or the smoke machine overheated,” Alexander says, adding, “Ethically, it’s, it’s what we do.”
Peden did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
According to its website, Fountain Inn has a population of over 11,000. The city is holding a Trick or Treat event on Main Street on Oct. 31.
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