The iconic statue at the Texas State Fair, known as Big Tex, burned on Friday, leaving only the metal skeleton, the 50-pound belt buckle, and his hands.
@dallasnews #bigtexfire twitter.com/5ftnthn/status…
— 5ftnthn (@5ftnthn) October 19, 2012
The Star-Telegram put together a photo gallery from pictures uploaded to Twitter.
The early report is that an electrical short caused the conflagration, said the fair's vice president for marketing:
There’s obviously some electronics inside of big Tex that leads to the ability for his mouth to move when he speaks. I believe there was an electrical short, but that hasn’t been confirmed or investigated.
It's a sad day for the figure that turned 60 this year, and for those around the state and country that enjoy attending the State Fair.
At 52 feet tall, Big Tex debuted at the State Fair in 1952.
RIP Big Tex.