PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — Investigators are searching for two people seen on video entering the popular Fright Acres haunted house before a fire early Monday morning.
Investigators are working to figure out who the people are and ask anyone with information about either person of interest to come forward.
Video shows people at Fright Acres before suspicious fire
FOX31 has obtained the video but has not been given permission from the owners to release it.
The South Metro Fire Rescue Fire Marshal’s Office said the video shows the two people arriving on the property at Flat Acres Farm in Parker, which hosts the attraction, just after 1 a.m.
The two people are seen walking through the parking lot then heading for the haunted house section.
A few minutes later, you can see flames begin to billow from the haunted house. The Catacombs at the haunted house were an inferno. A hometown favorite was at risk of disappearing in a flash.
“My son comes knocking on my door saying the farm is on fire,” Flat Acres Farm owner Mike Smith said.
Firefighters used front loader tractors to help fight the fire, along with a water tender shuttle, which carries 3,000 gallons of water from the closest hydrant to water tanks at the scene.
But with all the overnight wind, concerns grew.
Flat Acres Farm Fall Festival will go on
For more than a decade, families from all over Colorado have come to this cherished spot.
“My youngest grandson loves to come,” said a Parker woman who drove past the haunted house Monday to see the damage.
“It’s a very popular place,” said a man who works at a neighboring business. “There’s a lot of people that come over here for enjoyment. Who knows what their motive is, but to actually do something like that is pretty sad.”
The farm has a 1,012-pound pumpkin and a patch with smaller pumpkins — huge draws for families. There is also a petting zoo.
“I have animals down here, and that was my first thought: I’ve got to get my animals and the petting zoo out,” Anita Smith said. “But it wasn’t close to the petting zoo, so the animals are totally safe.”
Luckily, the fire burned just one section of the haunted house. The other three sections of the house were not harmed.
There were no injuries reported. Investigators said the fire is considered suspicious.
But the farm’s owners are beyond distraught.
“For somebody to destroy what we’ve worked so hard for is just sickening. It makes me sick to my stomach,” Mike Smith said.
The fall festival at the property will go on this weekend as planned, and the property owners are going to try to get the haunted house back up and running.