Fremont teen haunted house safety hazard
Chris Stelle, from Fremont, California, has transformed the back garden of his parents home into an elaborate scare attraction every Halloween for the past seven years.
But this year, city authorities found out about the annual freak show - built without a permit - and have ordered the 18-year-old to tear it down, or face daily fines.
'It's heartbreaking. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this,' Mr Stelle told the San Jose Mercury News.
With help from volunteers, Mr Stelle has opened his haunted house to the public every year since 2005, but this year's production was set to be the biggest yet.
The auto mechanic student and his family had spend some $700 putting together a structure that takes up more space than their adjacent four-bedroom home.
But when a neighbour complained about the construction, city inspectors ruled that it did not meet the building code requirements and ordered it demolished.
Barbara Meerjans, the Fremont planning manager, told the Mercury News it was a 'life, safety issue', adding: 'Any structure with people moving through it has to meet code.'
Mr Stelle's family said that up to 2,000 visitors had passed through their haunted house last year, with some donating money the family handed on to UNICEF.
The Centre for Spiritual Living, a Fremont church, were set to benefit from any donations this year after they supplied many of the volunteers who helped build the structure.
Neighbours, who said the haunted house had become a local institution, said they disagreed with the city's health and safety decision.
'I think it’s stupid, I really do,' neighbor Helen Marquez told CBS San Francisco. 'I think they should just let it go.'
Source:dailymail
