A fire destroyed Big Tex Friday October 19 at the State Fair of Texas.
The blaze was reported shortly after 10:15 a.m. at the fairgrounds in Dallas.
"It's a very sad day for all fair-goers," fair spokeswoman Sue Gooding said. "We did lose the clothes, his hat and head," she said.
Allen Ferrell, who was visiting the fair with a church group from North Richland Hills, said the fire was short-lived.
"Big Tex was done in about 10 minutes," he said.
Gooding said smoke was first seen coming from Big Tex's neck, and she suspects the fire was electrical in nature. A motor moves the mouth of Big Tex as he greets all fair-goers with a "Howdy, folks."
Published in Dallas Morning News from October 19 to October 20, 2012
