A game booth on the Midway at the State Fair of Texas was heavily damaged by an early morning fire Tuesday.
Dallas Fire-Rescue crews were dispatched to Fair Park around 7:08 a.m. after reports of a fire on the fairgrounds. Firefighters arriving on scene saw a large column of smoke and found flames coming from a Midway game stand.
Crews quickly brought the fire under control, declaring the blaze extinguished by 7:30 a.m. No injuries were reported.
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, the fire originated at a balloon-popping game booth and was later determined to have been caused by an electrical short. The stand sustained significant damage. Officials later confirmed a second game booth was also heavily damaged and had been torn down.
Even after the fire was extinguished, firefighters remained on scene working to put out hot spots inside stuffed animals and other game prizes.
Fair officials say the incident will not affect the fair’s scheduled opening.
State Fair of Texas spokeswoman Karissa Condoianis praised the rapid response from firefighters.
“Thankfully, our friends with Dallas Fire Rescue that are across the street responded immediately and got here and were able to minimize the damage on the midway,” she said.
Officials said the affected game booths were closed when the fire started, helping prevent any injuries.
Condoianis said a vendor working on the grounds before opening hours heard unusual noises, helping alert officials to the problem and prompting a quick emergency response.
“We actually had a vendor on site today that overheard some noise, and that’s what helped identify what was happening and be able to notify Dallas Fire Rescue as soon as possible,” she said.
The fair will open as planned at 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to organizers. The Midway will open at 11 a.m.
However, a section of the Midway near the greenhouse and the historic carousel will be closed while investigators complete their work and crews clean up the area. Fair officials said neither the greenhouse nor the carousel was damaged.
Visitors are being asked to avoid the area and follow directions from staff members, who will be stationed nearby to help guide guests around the closure.
“We will now assess the damage, investigate what may have happened, but this should not impact overall state fair operations today,” Condoianis said.
State Fair officials also noted that some of the stuffed animals inside the game booths melted rather than fueled the flames, helping prevent the fire from spreading farther on the Midway.
Condoianis said the State Fair works year-round with Dallas Fire-Rescue and Dallas police to prepare for emergencies.
“We plan year round with our partners with Dallas Police and Dallas Fire Rescue to ensure that we’re prepared for situations,” she said. “They were here within minutes spraying water on this. So, incredibly fast response time from Dallas Fire Rescue, thankfully, which was able to minimize the damage to the midway.”
