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10-Acre Fire in Sand Branch Exposes Emergency Gaps

A lack of running water forced firefighters to haul tanker water to the scene, prompting activists to deliver an $8 million bond plan to county officials to install water and sewer service.

Overview

  • A grass fire that ignited on Saturday, Aug. 29 burned about 10 acres, involved two structures and was reported fully extinguished the following Monday with no injuries.
  • Multiple municipal and volunteer departments responded under mutual aid with engines, tankers, brush units and an excavator used overnight to expose and extinguish hot spots.
  • The Dallas County Fire Marshal says the blaze began with illegal burning at an unpermitted dumping site where tires, RVs and construction debris burned, and citations or fines are pending.
  • Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price placed at least 13 landowners on 30-day notice to clean their properties while the county and state weigh cleanup costs estimated by regulators.
  • Local activists delivered the proposed Ken Wright Infrastructure Bond to commissioners seeking roughly $8 million to build water and sewer lines for Sand Branch, a community that lacks municipal service and whose residents face limited options for relocation.