Dallas: Fire Heavily Damages State Fair of Texas Game Booth; No Injuries Reported
An early-morning fire damaged a Midway game booth at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. No injuries were reported, and officials said operations would continue.
A fire heavily damaged a Midway game booth at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas early Tuesday, October 6, 2026. No injuries were reported, and the fair said it would open as scheduled.
Dallas Fire-Rescue crews were called to Fair Park at about 7:08 a.m. and found a large column of smoke coming from a game stand, KRLD reported. Fire officials identified it as a balloon-pop game. An early CBS Texas report described a ring-toss stand, but its updated report also identifies a balloon-pop stand.
Fire out in under 20 minutes
Crews declared the fire out at 7:26 a.m., according to Dallas Fire-Rescue, which said the stand sustained significant damage. CBS Texas reported that firefighters put out the blaze about 15 minutes after arriving. The CBS Texas report said the stand and its prizes, including large stuffed animals, were destroyed.
Even after the flames were out, firefighters kept working on hot spots inside several stuffed animals and other prizes.
The fair had not opened for the day when the fire started, so no game stands were operating. No injuries were reported.
Electrical short blamed
Dallas Fire-Rescue said an electrical short caused the fire, KRLD reported. CBS Texas also reported that investigators had determined the fire was sparked by an electrical short.
Fair stays open
Karissa Condoianis, the fair’s senior vice president of public relations, told KRLD the fire appeared to be isolated to a couple of booths near the greenhouse. “It will not impact fair operations today,” she said, adding that the most important thing was that nobody was hurt.
She said that part of the Midway would be blocked off while crews and fair officials investigate and assess the damage. The fair told CBS Texas it would open at 10 a.m. as scheduled, with the Midway opening at 11 a.m., and a perimeter was set up around the affected area.
“The safety of our fairgoers, vendors, volunteers, and team members remains our top priority,” fair officials said in a statement to CBS Texas.
The 2026 State Fair of Texas runs from September 25, 2026, to October 18, 2026, at Fair Park, according to the fair’s official website.
Featured image: File photo of the Midway at Fair Park during the 2026 State Fair of Texas. Photo: IcedCowboyCoffee / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
