Owners of a popular haunted attraction are trying to track down who set one of their ATVs on fire in the middle of the afternoon Sunday.
It was a regular Sunday of cleaning up after a weekend of festivities at the Dead Land Haunted Woods when all of a sudden those crews saw their ATV was on fire.
Now, the owners think it set intentionally. It's a place designed to frighten folks, but now the Dead Land Haunted Woods is dealing with their own scare.
"The scary thing is the trees started lighting up," Dead Land Haunted Woods owner Dana Chapman said.
Chapman thinks the fire was set on purpose because their employees heard the possible perpetrators laughing as they ran off.
"They're laughing," Chapman said. "That's scary. That means they're not...they have no conscience."
The Wilson County Emergency Management Agency responded quickly keeping the fire from spreading.
"There's 40 acres here of cedar trees that would go up very quickly. There's houses that are around here," Chapman said. "They could have hurt somebody."
Chapman says they don't use the ATV for their haunted woods, but it's an important piece of equipment to keep things running smoothly.
"I called my insurance company and I left a message and I said, 'our mule got vandalized,'" Chapman said. "He calls back and he goes, "we really don't cover livestock.'"
Still, Chapman says they're keeping their spirits up as they celebrate 10 years of scaring the community.
"We're going to put some 'skellies' in there," Chapman said.
She says they are reviewing their security video and offering a $1,000 reward for information.
"I really don't feel mad," Chapman said. "I feel so sad that somebody would do that."
The Dead Land Haunted Woods plans to open as scheduled on Friday.
If you know anything about the alleged arson call the Wilson County Sheriff's Office at 615-444-1412 or Chapman at 615-519-3116.
