Authorities believe that an electrical short may have caused a fire that destroyed a beloved icon at the Texas State Fair.
Each year, the "Big Tex" statue greeted visitors to the Texas State Fair in Dallas.
But on Friday morning, the 52-foot tall statue burned around 10:30 a.m. Friday.
Only the metal frame of the statue was left behind.
Texas State Fair officials told WFAA-TV that they believe an electrical short caused the fire.
Photos of the fire began to flood the social media networds Instagram and Twitter.
With his 75-gallon hat, 50-pound belt buckle and folksy, slow drawl to greet visitors — “Howdy, folks!” — Big Tex has been the star of the Texas State Fair since 1952.
The 60-year-old statue was showing his age even before this latest birthday.
In 2002, crews made his hair grayer and added wrinkles to his face and hands.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT