Officials lament lack of water in Sand Branch after 10-acre grass fire
Water trucked in to fight Dallas County grass fire
A community in southern Dallas County with no running water had to have water trucked in to combat a large grass fire that erupted this past weekend. FOX 4's Alex Boyer has more.
DALLAS - A 10-acre grass fire in unincorporated Dallas County land had to be put out with water brought in by trucks, as the Sand Branch area does not have fire hydrants or running water.
Sand Branch grass fire
Smoke from a fire in the Sand Branch area of Dallas County is seen on Aug. 29, 2026. (Facebook/Dallas County Sheriff's Office / FOX Local)
What we know:
On Saturday, Aug. 29, at around 10:29 p.m., Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to a mutual aid request from Dallas County Fire Rescue for a large grass fire at 206 Burns Drive in Sand Branch.
Responding officials found a fire spanning about 10 acres that had spread to two structures.
The Sand Branch community does not have access to fire hydrants or running water, requiring responding firefighters to truck in water to combat the blaze.
Multiple piles of brush, trash and debris were burned during the fire, which has been contained.
The fire was fully put out at 10:30 a.m. on Monday. No injuries were reported.
What they're saying:
"They're literally going two miles, three miles, four miles up the road to get water from fire hydrants."
Shirley Bryant, a Sand Branch resident and board member, tells FOX 4's Alex Boyer that responding firefighters were surprised to find out that the community has no running water.
"The sheriff's department was going around at night, knocking on people's doors trying to get them to evacuate."
Shirley Bryant
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price says this is the second grass fire started in the Sand Branch community in August. He's concerned about the lack of water after such a serious fire.
"We're getting ready to erect a new fire station," Price said. "But that doesn't help you when you start talking about water infrastructure, because you've got to have fire hydrants."
John Wiley Price
Residents of Sand Branch are grandfathered in to the land. Price says the county has offered residents help in relocating, but many have chosen to stay.
Price pushed back on claims that the area is a "freedman's town", saying the community was established in 1959 and that the county has done research with the Department of the Interior.
What's next:
The Dallas County Fire Marshal says the fire was started by several people engaging in illegal burning. Those individuals will face a fine as levied by a Dallas County judge.
The Source: Information in this story comes from interviews with Sand Branch residents and Dallas officials, as well as previous FOX 4 reporting.