Flash flood emergency hits New Mexico town that burned in deadly wildfires

A New Mexico mountain town hit by devastating wildfires last year experienced dangerous flooding Tuesday after heavy rain fell on areas burned in the blazes, officials said.

Speaking on a local radio station Tuesday night, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said there were reports of mudslides and gas leaks at homes that had been washed away or damaged.

Multiple bridges had been underwater, Crawford said, and there had been more than two dozen swift-water rescues.

Three people were missing, he said. “They’re in the process of looking,” Crawford said Tuesday night on radio station KRUI. He said the fires and the flooding have been “catastrophic” for the small community.

The storms that triggered the floods occurred during the monsoon season, which runs from late June to early September. The storms can cause flash floods that can come on quickly. Crawford said Tuesday’s monsoon flood was one of the worst he has seen.

“Last year we had a bad one or two, but this one was right there with it,” Crawford said.

No deaths had been reported Tuesday night. Some people have been taken to the hospital, Crawford said. People who were safe and dry should stay there, he said.

In a post on Facebook, the village asked people who could not reach their families to report the missing to the community’s emergency operations center.

Videos posted on social media and verified by NBC News showed roads submerged in fast-moving floodwaters and a home smashing into trees after it was swept down a river, Rio Ruidoso.

Crawford said that before the rains, the river that swept away the house was so small “you could have jumped across it.”

There have been around 30 swift-water rescues, Crawford said, noting that there have also been reports of dead horses.

The National Weather Service said the river appeared to have crested at a record 20 feet Tuesday.

The agency declared a flash flood emergency after an inch of rain had fallen by Tuesday afternoon on burn scars left by fires that tore through the area last year, killing two people and burning hundreds of homes.

“A DANGEROUS situation is unfolding in RUIDOSO!” the weather service warned on X. “A FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY remains in effect! Seek HIGHER GROUND NOW! Do NOT attempt to drive through the floodwaters. The current will carry away your vehicle!”

Town officials said the rain would cause severe flash flooding in streams, creeks and ditches in the area burned by the South Fork Fire. The blaze ignited June 17, 2024, and burned through more than 17,000 acres.

Ruidoso, which has a population of 7,600 people, is roughly 180 miles southeast of Albuquerque, in the Sierra Blanca mountain range.

On its website, the village says that the surrounding mountainous terrain makes it susceptible to flash flooding. Burn scars can make flash flooding worse.

“This one hit us harder than we were expecting,” Crawford said.