A Fountain Inn couple’s nightly Halloween display keeps prompting 911 calls and fire department responses despite posted warnings.

By Lyn Riddle
The State

FOUNTAIN INN, S.C. — One year for Halloween, Sam Lee and Amanda Riggins Peden put a broken airplane with skeleton passengers on the front lawn of their Fountain Inn home.

Another year, it was an overturned van with a 12-foot skeleton inside.

This year tops them all. Their five-bedroom home on the little Golden Strip city’s Main Street looks like it’s on fire, so real people call the fire department about it, although not as many as two years ago when the couple staged a similar display, Today.com reported.

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Flames look like they’re shooting up in the windows, smoke billows from under the front porch.

Peden said on a Facebook video of the display, “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!”

They also will have a coffin filled with full-sized candy bars outside the house at 512 N. Main St., Today said.

Lee, a former mayor of Fountain Inn, told Today.com, “Most people appreciate it, but you’ve got the 1% who are never happy with anything.”

On TikTok, one woman warned when it really happens nobody is going to call 911. Another on Facebook said, “Bet 911 loves you this time of the year lol.” Still another advised to “park a fire truck outside so they’ll think they’re already on scene.”

Others call it dope and awesome.

“It does look cool, but that honestly should be illegal,” another said.

Fountain Inn Fire Chief Russell Alexander said even though firefighters know it’s a display, a truck responds every time a call comes in.

Lee and Peden have been outdoing themsleves on Halloween decorations for five years.

The effect is fairly easy to do, and there are companies that sell the items needed.

Jaimie and Jay, an Austin, Texas, couple with the YouTube channel Wicked Makers, describe a do-it-yourself house afire in a step by step video. They say install a sheet or light colored material, a fan and lights. When the lights and fan are turned on it makes the sheet wave and the effect outside looks like fire.

They also show a number of other effects including do it yourself characters from horror games and movies. They’ll even tell you how to make a steaming witches’ cauldron.

Creative Halloween genius or public-safety headache? Should ultra-realistic displays be allowed, or do they tie up 911 and first responders?

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