AN ACR WDB RAN OFF OF THE SIDE OF THE RWY IN A HVY WINDSHEAR SIT.

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HNL TO DFW FLT. ACFT ENCOUNTERED LIGHT RAIN ON FINAL APCH. THERE WERE TSTMS IN THE AREA. WE FLEW AN AUTOPLT COUPLED APCH WITH AUTOTHROTTLES ENGAGED. A NORMAL APCH WAS FLOWN BY THE FO AND HE WAS TO LAND THE ACFT. BECAUSE OF XWIND CONDITIONS; I ASSUMED CTL OF THE ACFT AT APPROX 50 FT AGL AND EXECUTED A NORMAL XWIND LNDG. A CALM WIND WAS RPTED BY THE TWR. AFTER TOUCHDOWN; REVERSE THRUST WAS APPLIED WITHOUT THE NORMAL FEELING OF DECELERATION. THE ACFT WX-VANED TO THE R AND STARTED ACROSS THE RWY. I COULD NOT BRING THE NOSE BACK TO THE L TO CORRECT FOR THE ACFT'S TRACKING DIRECTION. THE ACFT LEFT THE RWY AND CAME TO REST IN A MUDDY GRASSY AREA BTWN TXWYS. THE NOSE GEAR AND L MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND THERE WAS A FIRE UNDER THE L WING. ALL 189 PAX AND 10 FLT ATTENDANTS WERE EVACED IN A TIMELY MANNER. THE CRASH PERSONNEL WERE THERE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WERE SEVERAL PAX INJURED DURING THE EVAC PROCESS. GND EVAC CHKS WERE COMPETED AND THE COCKPIT CREW EXITED THE ACFT WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES. THERE WERE RPTS AFTERWARD THAT THE WIND CHANGED SPD AND DIRECTION GREATLY; VERY NEAR THE TIME WE WERE LNDG. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING CAPT STATES THAT HIS ACFT WAS VERY HVY. THEIR 'BUG' SPD WAS 160 KTS BECAUSE OF THE ACFT WT AND CORRECTIONS DUE TO WIND. THE CAPT TOOK OVER THE ACFT FROM THE FO AFTER A COUPLED APCH AS THE FO HAD HAD HIS HEAD DOWN DURING THE APCH AND THE CAPT HAD HAD THE RWY IN SIGHT FOR ABOUT 2 MI. THE WIND WAS RPTED AS CALM AT TOUCHDOWN; BUT IMMEDIATELY WENT TO 38 KTS R QUARTERING TAILWIND. THIS FORCED THE ACFT TO THE L. NOSEWHEEL STEERING WAS NOT EFFECTIVE AND NEITHER WAS WHEEL BRAKING OR REVERSING. THE L MAIN GEAR AND NOSE GEAR WERE BOTH BROKEN OFF AND A SMALL FIRE STARTED IN THE L ENG. THE CRASH CREW WAS IMMEDIATELY AT THE ACFT AND HAD THE FIRE OUT BEFORE THE CAPT EVEN KNEW THAT HE HAD A FIRE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS STARTED THE EVAC. THERE WERE A FEW MINOR INJURIES AND 1 SERIOUS INJURY. THE CAPT SUFFERED A PINCHED NERVE IN HIS NECK AND HAS SINCE FOUND THAT HE HAS HAD A SLIGHT HEART PROB. THE ACR MGMNT AND PLT UNION OFFICERS HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE CREW IN THIS INCIDENT. COMPANY AND UNION MGMNT KNEW ABOUT THE WIND GUST BEFORE THE CAPT KNEW ABOUT IT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 239321: CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTING FO STATES THAT SEVERAL LOW LEVEL WINDSHEAR SENSORS WERE INOP AT DFW AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT. THIS FACT WAS NOT PASSED ON TO THE FLC. TRACON DID PASS ON ANY INFO ON THE WINDS; AND THE TWR DID NOT TELL THE CREW THAT THERE HAD BEEN A LARGE WINDSHEAR EVENT ON THE W SIDE OF THE FIELD. THE RPTING FO BELIEVES THAT THE COM LOOP CAN AND SHOULD BE TIGHTENED TO PREVENT FURTHER INCIDENTS OF THIS TYPE.