A Texas Tragedy
Big Tex burned beyond recognition in fast fire: Only metal skeleton of StateFair icon remains
Big Tex went out with a bang and a flash on his 60th birthday. The State Fair of Texas icon burst into flames Friday morning in Dallas.
WFAA is reporting that the fire started at 10:25 a.m.
The cause is believed to be an electrical short. Reportedly, no one was harmed in the accident, which occurred just after the fair's opening at 10 am. The fair remained open throughout the fire.
"It’s a great loss for us because of his icon stature and what he’s meant to the fair for the last 60 years," State Fair spokesperson Sue Gooding said.
Sue Gooding, a spokesperson for the State Fair, was on location when the flames erupted. She said the whole structure burned in matter of 10 minutes.
"The fairgoers just kept saying, ‘This is so sad. This is so sad.’ I think that sums it up for everyone," Gooding said in an interview with Dallas' NBC affiliate.
"It’s a great loss for us because of his icon stature and what he’s meant to the fair for the last 60 years," she continued. "But there was no loss of life, and Big Tex will be back again, bigger and better than ever."
Big Tex was originally constructed in 1949 and debuted at the State Fair in 1952. Only the metal skeleton and his arms remain.
This is the final weekend of the State Fair, which opened September 28.
