The Dallas Cowboys spent their summer proving they’ve fixed last year’s gaps, backing up their Oxnard training camp with a promising 2-1 preseason. Everything seemed seamless as fans gathered at the Ford Center on August 26th for “Cowboys Night” to watch the squad prep for the New York Giants. But just a week later, the high-flying energy at headquarters hit a sudden snag when an unexpected fire broke out inside the facility.
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The Ford Center is at The Star in Frisco. It’s a state-of-the-art 12,000-seat indoor stadium that serves as the practice facility and corporate headquarters for the Cowboys. On Friday morning, a fire broke out at the facility, as reported by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
According to reports, the fire broke out around 4:00 AM inside a commercial laundry appliance (the dryer or washing unit where the fire started) located near a loading dock in the facility. On-site security personnel acted immediately and used fire extinguishers to contain the flames before emergency services arrived.
Shortly after, the Frisco Fire Department, with mutual aid from the Plano Fire Department, arrived on the scene to control and extinguish the fire.
The Frisco Fire Department Deputy Chief Jacob Leeper reported:
“There was a small fire in a commercial laundry appliance at The Star. Security personnel used a fire extinguisher until Frisco FD units arrived. There was no structural damage to the building.”
Fortunately, the Cowboys players remained safe from the incident, as they weren’t scheduled to practice on Friday (the day when the fire broke out) and were not at the complex at the time of the incident. They wrapped up their session on the 26th of last month. It was an open practice session that lasted from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM as part of the team’s annual “Cowboys Night” event. It was broadcast live on TXA 21 and streamed on DallasCowboys.com, the Cowboys Mobile app, and Cowboys Now streaming devices. The broadcast was hosted by Bill Jones alongside DallasCowboys.com reporters.
This served as the official conclusion of their 2026 training camp schedule. However, the game week preparations begin on Monday, September 7, and by then, all the Cowboys players are expected to return to the Ford Center. Notably, since the indoor facility opened in 2016, this incident marks the first time a fire broke out in the venue. It’s quite concerning because it’s not just the Cowboys who use that venue.
This project was developed as part of a public-private partnership between:
- The City of Frisco, including the Frisco Economic Development Corporation (FEDC) and the Frisco Community Development Corporation (FCDC)
- The Frisco Independent School District (FISD)
- The Dallas Cowboys
The multi-use event center hosts a wide array of Frisco ISD events, ranging from football and soccer games to marching band competitions and commencement ceremonies. While the City of Frisco retains ownership of the Ford Center, the Dallas Cowboys handle day-to-day management and cover all the maintenance and operational expenses, meaning the franchise will now have to foot the bill for the recent repair costs.
However, the severity of the fire was extremely minor, with the damage strictly confined to a laundry appliance, while the building itself suffered no structural harm, and there was no widespread smoke or water damage.
