Flames swiftly engulfed Big Tex Friday morning, leaving only a skeletal frame with the hands still intact.
The State Fair of Texas was celebrating Big Tex's 60th birthday.
The vice president of marketing for the fair said it appears the fire was started by an electrical shortage.
"There's obviously some electronics inside of big Tex that leads to the ability for his mouth to move when he speaks," he said. "I believe there was an electrical short, but that hasn't been confirmed or investigated."
The fire department was on the scene and able to put the fire out within a matter of minutes. However, those at the scene said it only took around five minutes for the fire to quickly engulf the 52-foot figure.
The State Fair of Texas was to remain open with the area around Big Tex to be closed off to the public.
There were no injuries reported.