A South Carolina couple's Halloween decorations are causing such a stir that neighbors keep calling 911, mistakenly thinking the home is on fire. Sam Lee and Amanda Riggins Peden, known in Fountain Inn for their extravagant spooky displays, have taken things up a notch this year, per USA Today. Their latest setup makes it appear as if their house is ablaze, with flickering yellow "flames" in every window and smoke billowing from the porch, thanks to a convincing illusion that quickly went viral on Facebook.
Since the display debuted on Friday (check out video of it here), the local fire department has responded to several emergency calls, each time confirming that there's no real fire. Chief Russell Alexander says the department always checks, just in case. A fire-themed display by the couple in 2023 generated about 30 calls; this year's has surpassed it in both attention and realism, per Lee.
Lee and Peden are keeping most of the technical details under wraps, though Lee did reveal he uses a professional smoke machine to create that particular effect. "You can easily Google it and find out how it's done," he jokes to USA Today. The fire department has seized the opportunity, teaming up with the Red Cross to film a fire safety video outside the home as part of National Fire Prevention Week. Lee and Peden are also known for an annual free pumpkin patch, laying out around 1,500 pumpkins for anyone to take.
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