A fire behind Burns Drive in unincorporated Sandbranch burned for about three hours late Saturday. No injuries were reported, according to a Dallas County Fire Marshal assistant chief.
Tracey McManus
SANDBRANCH — A brush fire burned for about three hours late Saturday night in the Sandbranch community, which lacks water infrastructure in unincorporated Dallas County.
Crews from at least 13 volunteer and municipal fire departments responded to or hauled water into the area, including from hydrants two-miles away near the Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Dallas County Fire Marshal Assistant Chief Michael Barber said the fire ignited and spread less than an acre in an area with piles of mulch, tree stumps and abandoned trailer structures. While the cause is under investigation, Barber said he believes the blaze was due to illegal burning “that got out of control” while the county is under a burn ban.
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Residents were evacuated to nearby streets, and Barber said there were no injuries or fatalities as crews contained the fire around 11:30 p.m.
“When you don’t have the water resources, there is a higher threat, absolutely,” Barber said of why it took so long to extinguish.
A fire burns behind Burns Drive in Sandbranch on Aug. 29, 2026. At least 13 volunteer and municipal fire departments responded or hauled water into the unincorporated area that has no water infrastructure.
Dallas County Fire Rescue
Sandbranch, a rural pocket with roughly 80 residents, has never had running water or sewer infrastructure despite nonprofits and resident groups working on solutions for years. Many of the lots have wells, but county officials confirmed contamination in the mid 1980s and residents now largely rely on bottled water donations for cooking and drinking.
Barber said the fire was not on a defined street. It appeared to be centered behind a section of Sandbranch with clusters of trailers residents call “the bottom.”
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As residents watched amber flames and black smoke pour around their community and helped each other evacuate to nearby streets, they pointed to their ongoing need for drinking water, fire hydrants and sewer infrastructure. A resident’s trailer caught fire July 25, making Saturday’s blaze at least the second fire in about a month in Sandbranch.
“We only want to be on the map for running water inside our homes,” said 19-year-long resident Julie Ghant “We don’t want to be on the map for fires, this is sad.”
Ghant said she called 911 as a friend was driving her home from a store before 9 p.m. and she saw the beginnings of the flames. After evacuating with her dog, Jasper, Ghant watched nearby and feared the worst about the fire moving towards her camper on a surrounding street.
“This is where I live, this is the only place I have, and all I want to do is just try to help build Sandbranch,” Ghant said. “Not like this.”
A fire burns behind Burns Drive in Sandbranch on Aug. 29, 2026. At least 13 volunteer and municipal fire departments responded or hauled water into the unincorporated area that has no water infrastructure.
Dallas County Fire Rescue
Chris Ford said a Dallas County sheriff’s deputy knocked on his door in the bottom around 9 p.m. and told everyone to get out.
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“I told him there ain’t no water back here,” said Ford, who was still recovering from his dialysis treatment that morning.
Frank Alexander, pastor of Wayside Baptist Church on Beltline Road, stood on a nearby street watching dozens of fire trucks and comforting residents. Alexander and a group of volunteers distribute donated bottled water door-to-door every Saturday in Sandbranch.
He was thankful nobody appeared hurt but worried about the next time. The county does not provide water infrastructure to any unincorporated areas and Sandbranch has never been annexed into the surrounding cities of Dallas or Seagoville.
“By the time you tote water into this community, it’s absolutely too late,” he said.