Background The soil-dwelling bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei is the etiological-agent of the neglected and life-threatening emerging infection melioidosis. The distribution of B . pseudomallei in West Africa is unknown. In the present study we aimed to determine whether B . pseudomallei and B . thailandensis are present in the environment of central Sierra Leone. Methodology/Principal findings In June-July 2017, we conducted an environmental surveillance study–designed in accordance with existing consensus guidelines—in central Sierra Leone. A total of 1,000 soil samples (100 per site) were collected and cultured. B . pseudomallei was not identified in the soil, but we identified seven novel B . thailandensis sequence types with multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. Conclusions/Significance The presence of B . pseudomallei was not demonstrated, however, multiple novel B . thailandensis sequence types were identified. More environmental and sequencing studies are needed to further understand the genetic diversity, evolution and virulence of these emerging organisms.