Dallas firefighters responded to a fire at the State of Fair of Texas Tuesday morning.
Dallas Fire-Rescue says the ring toss game caught fire. Investigators determined an electrical short was the cause of the fire.
Dallas Fire-Rescue was called to the scene around 7 a.m.
“A large column of smoke could be seen upon arrival,” said DFR spokesperson Jason Evans said, “and when firefighters arrived on location, they discovered fire coming from the balloon pop game.”
The blaze was contained within 20 minutes but the stand sustained major damage. No injuries were reported.
The fair, which was closed at the time of the fire, opened at its normal time of 10 a.m., and the Midway was expected to open at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Fair organizers posted a statement on Instagram saying they were grateful for the quick response.
“A perimeter has been established around the affected area near the Big Tex Urban Farms Greenhouse as our teams continue cleanup,” the statement said. “Team members will be on site to direct fairgoers as needed.”
Alecia Hunt, an assistant supervisor for the gate attendants, arrived to the scene during the fire.
“I seen the black flame going up in the air and I didn’t know what it was,” Hunt said. “I said it’s a fire down there. So we ran down there and it really was a fire.”
Lupita Valerio, the owner of Lupita’s Gorditas, was in the area when the fire started.
“At first, I thought it was gunshots, because I heard the popping,” Valerio said. “But then I said, that can be gunshots so early in the morning. It was the balloons. The balloons were popping because that stand was a balloon and game.”
Valerio said she called 911 immediately.
“We were gonna go with the extinguisher because I got my extinguisher. But then I saw that it was growing too fast. And I said, ‘No, I ain’t going there.’”
This is a developing story.
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