A festive South Carolina couple is asking their neighbors to stop dialing 911 over their dramatic Halloween display, which makes their home look like it’s ablaze.
Sam Lee and Amanda Riggins Peden said that on the very first night they switched on their fiery setup at their Fountain Inn home on Oct. 3, the local fire department received three to four emergency calls reporting a house fire, they told Today.com.
The display is equipped with lights that appear as orange, glowing flames in every window of the home and is accompanied by a thick cloud of smoke billowing out from under the porch.
Hoping to put an end to the flood of 911 calls, the Halloween enthusiasts posted a video of their home on Facebook to reassure neighbors that the blazing effect was nothing more than a festive illusion.
“Our house will be on fire (not real fire) as Halloween decorations every night from 8–10 p.m. between now and October 31,” Peden wrote. “Please do not call the fire department again!”
Lee — the former mayor of Fountain Inn — said the couple has been creating elaborate Halloween displays at their home, located about 20 miles outside Greenville, for the past five years. They first introduced the “fire house” setup in 2023.
While the couple’s goal is simply to spread spooky cheer, Lee acknowledged that not everyone is thrilled with the spectacle.
“Most people appreciate it, but you’ve got the one percent who are never happy with anything,” he told Today.com.
Sam Lee and Amanda Riggins Peden said that on the same night they switched on their dramatic Halloween setup at their Fountain Inn home, the local fire department received multiple reports of a house fire.
“There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like it,” Peden said, noting that her 15-year-old son enjoys seeing their fiery home gain traction on TikTok.
Fountain Inn Fire Chief Russell Alexander told Today.com that when the display first debuted, the department received around 30 calls in October alone.
“The first year, we were inundated with phone calls from people driving by the home,” Alexander said. “This year hasn’t been as bad — we’ve only had a few calls from people who are new to the area.”
Even though firefighters now recognize the display as a harmless illusion, Alexander said they still respond to each call just in case.
Fountain Inn Fire Chief Russell Alexander said that when the display first debuted, the department received roughly 30 calls in October about the supposed house fire.
“It’s bad practice not to 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.”
A viral TikTok video showcasing the display — viewed nearly 25 million times since being posted on Saturday — sparked intense debate online.
“This should 100% be illegal,” one user wrote.
“It does look cool, but that honestly should be illegal. Ever heard of the boy who cried wolf lol,” another commented.
“Change color. Think of your family’s safety — if it’s actually on fire and people tried to call it in, they’ll be dismissed,” another user warned.
Still, many others praised the couple’s creativity and the realism of the illusion.
The display features orange lights flickering in every window to mimic glowing flames, along with thick clouds of smoke billowing from beneath the porch.
“Very cool! But looks very realistic! I would have been one of the people calling as well,” one commenter admitted.
“This is dope AF, but what if you have a real fire and no one calls because they think it’s just the decorations?” another asked.
While the illusion has fooled some passersby, Fire Chief Russell Alexander noted that a trained eye can tell the difference. Real house fires, he said, typically produce smoke that moves more rapidly and changes color.
Despite knowing the setup is only a decoration, Alexander said his department still dispatches a truck every time a call comes in — just to be safe.
As for Lee and Peden, they have no plans to dial down their Halloween spirit anytime soon.
In 2021, the couple transformed their front yard into the scene of an aviation disaster, complete with a broken plane filled with skeleton passengers — one hanging from a parachute in a nearby tree.
The following year, they staged a mock car crash featuring an overturned van and a 12-foot skeleton trapped inside.
“It’s just gotten crazier and crazier every year,” Lee said.
