A South Carolina couple is asking the community to not call the fire department to report their house is on fire. It's a Halloween display.

Sam Lee and Amanda Riggins Peden have gone "big" with their spooky-season decorations for the past five years, but this year's display has gained a reach neither expected, Lee told USA TODAY. In a Facebook video with more than 86,000 shares, the couple's house in Fountain Inn appears to be engulfed in fire, with bright yellow flames in each of the windows and white smoke bellowing from underneath the front porch awning.

"It's got some real feel to it," Fountain Inn Fire Department Chief Russell Alexander told USA TODAY.

Lee and Peden turned on the display Oct. 3, Lee said. That night, the fire department received three or four calls reporting the house on fire, Alexander said. The department always sends a truck out to the house, Alexander said, to ensure a real fire hasn't started.

The couple first set up a "fire house" display in 2023. Alexander said the fire department received about 30 calls that October about the house. But Lee said he doesn't believe that display was as successful as this year's.

'Bet 911 loves you'

As of Oct. 7, more than 150 Facebook users had left comments on the video, sharing both their support and their initial concern over a real fire.

"Bet 911 loves you this time of the year," one user wrote.

"I was literally about to say, 'praying for you and your family,'" another wrote with the laughing emoji.

Lee and Peden's display is on from 8 to 10 ET every night until Oct. 31. Fountain Inn is about 20 miles southeast of Greenville.

Homeowner keeps lips sealed on behind-the-scenes process

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.

Fire department partners with Red Cross to promote National Fire Prevention Week

Alexander told USA TODAY on Oct. 7 that the Fountain Inn Fire Department is partnering with the American Red Cross Upstate SC Chapter to film a National Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 5-11) video outside the house to stress the importance of having a home fire escape plan and knowing the "Stop, Drop and Roll" extinguishing technique.

Known for over-the-top displays, free pumpkin patch

In Fountain Inn, a town of fewer than 14,000 people, Lee and Peden are known for their over-the-top decorations. In years past, they've placed a hearse and casket near the sidewalk full of candy bars. Lee said he has set a scrapped van upside down in the yard with custom-made "Body Removal" stickers and a 12-foot skeleton looming over it with its own body bag.

But perhaps what the couple is the most known for, other than the fire house, of course, is their annual free pumpkin patch. Lee said that for the past few years, he and Peden have spread about 1,500 pumpkins in their front lawn for people to pick and take home.

"My fiancé and I both own businesses in town and the community. They support us so much that we just figured, 'Hey, this is a way that we can give back,'" Lee said.

This year's free pumpkin patch is Saturday, Oct. 18.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This Halloween display looks so real neighbors are calling the fire department

Reporting by Greta Cross, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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