A game stand along the Midway at the State Fair of Texas burst into flames early Tuesday morning, sending a thick column of smoke rising over Fair Park and drawing a swift response from Dallas Fire-Rescue crews.
The fire broke out just after 7 a.m. near the greenhouse area of the Midway. Firefighters arriving on scene encountered heavy smoke pouring from the structure and moved quickly to bring the blaze under control.
Dallas Fire-Rescue crews successfully knocked down the fire in less than 30 minutes and declared it fully extinguished by 7:26 a.m. Investigators determined the fire was triggered by an electrical short.
The game stand suffered significant damage in the blaze. Because the fair had not yet opened for the day the stand was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported.
Even after the main fire was out crews remained on scene working to extinguish hot spots that had spread into stuffed animals and other prizes stored within the stand.
State Fair of Texas officials said they were still assessing the situation and remained hopeful the fair would open to the public as scheduled at 10 a.m. The full impact on Tuesday’s operations had not been determined as of early morning.
The State Fair of Texas is one of the largest and longest-running state fairs in the country drawing millions of visitors each year to Fair Park in Dallas. Tuesday’s early morning fire disrupted preparations but fair organizers expressed optimism that the day’s festivities would proceed with minimal interruption.