The FDNY is closing in on what it called a “death trap” at a haunted house in New York City.
On Friday, October 11, local media outlets WABC and FOX 5 NY reported that New York City firefighters shut down a haunted house in Queens for alleged safety violations after members of the department reported the attraction to the Bureau of Fire Prevention.
According to the website, “A Haunting In Hollis” offers a maze, escape rooms with live actors and overnight stays, with $30 maze tickets.
However, the FDNY told local media that the Queens home was a private residence that used unsafe practices, including blocked exits, the use and accumulation of flammable materials, poor electrical practices and holes in walls and floors.
A shot from inside the haunted house, from the attraction’s Instagram page.
ahuntinginhollis/Instagram
“The building itself [of] the interior was altered, it was heavily involved in the fire, there was a lot of plastic hanging,” Thomas Currao, chief of the FDNY’s fire prevention division, told WABC.
“There was a smoke machine that was illegal, like [you] we couldn’t find a small place where there was more danger,” added Currao. “But thank God we were warned about it.”
The New York City Department of Buildings confirmed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that it inspected the building along with the FDNY, calling it a “true horror show.”
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Additional shots of the haunted house.
ahuntinginhollis/Instagram
“Last week we previewed a true horror show in Queens,” the post read. “DOB & @FDNY personnel were called to conduct a joint inspection to investigate reports that a two-story residential building has been illegally converted into a commercial haunted house, with a literal maze inside…”
The FDNY added in a statement to FOX 5 that “all of the conditions and violations required immediate action as they presented life-threatening hazards that could have been tragic if a fire had broken out at this location.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams commented on the investigation, writing in his own X post: “Have a spooky party this Halloween. DON’T be fooled by illegal haunted houses.”
“Thank you to the @FDNY and @NYC_Buildings teams for quickly ending this dangerous operation that was scary for the wrong reasons.”
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The outlets reported that the Department of Buildings issued a full eviction order, as well as summonses to the owners of the attraction.
“We want everyone to enjoy Halloween, it’s a great, great holiday, I have kids, but we want them to do it in a safe way,” FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker told WABC. “And that’s the death trap we’ve stumbled upon.”
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Source: HIS Education