New Mexico flash flooding sweeps entire house away, prompts rescues

Heavy rains drenched the Ruidoso area of southern New Mexico on Tuesday and triggered flash flooding, with fast-moving water seen carrying a house downstream.  

Three people have been treated for injuries, and there have been no confirmed fatalities as of Tuesday night, Kerry Gladden, a spokesperson for the village of Ruidoso, told CBS News. Some people are unaccounted for, but the number is unclear, Gladden said.

Earlier Tuesday, the National Weather Service said multiple rescue missions were underway at Gavilan Trailer Park in Ruidoso, and that a father and two children in Lincoln, New Mexico, had been washed away in flood waters. It wasn’t immediately clear if they had been rescued.

Emergency crews carried out at least 85 swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including people who were trapped in their homes and cars, Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management told The Associated Press.

The Rio Ruidoso, a river in Lincoln County, rose about 19 feet in just minutes, AP reported. Gladden said the Hollywood gauge on the Rio Ruidoso hit a record level during the flash flood, 5 inches higher than the previous mark, illustrating how fast the flooding hit. 

According to real-time data from the U.S. Geological Survey, water levels at the 30-mile-long river located about 150 miles southeast of Albuquerque were “extremely above” its historic daily averages on Tuesday evening.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement Tuesday that the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the South Central Mountains, including Ruidoso, at 2:46 a.m. MT. That warning was to be in effect from noon until 8 p.m. local time, NOAA said. A flash flood warning was issued for the South Fork burn scar in Lincoln County, New Mexico, at 2:12 p.m., and included a “considerable” flooding tag, which NOAA said “automatically triggers a Wireless Emergency Alert to be issued for the warned area.” 

NOAA said the warning was upgraded to a flash flooding emergency about 30 minutes later. 

A video posted on social media by Ruidoso resident Kaitlyn Carpenter shows fast-moving water sweeping a home down a river. Another video shows flood water carrying a myriad of debris down a river bank before reaching a small bridge and inundating the roadway. 

Carpenter, whose art studio was swept away during a flood last year, told The AP she was riding her motorcycle through town Tuesday afternoon when the storm started to pick up, and she sought shelter at the riverside Downshift Brewing Company with dozens of other people. She started to film debris rushing down the Rio Ruidoso river when she spotted a house floating by with a familiar turquoise door. It belonged to the family of one of her best friends.

Her friend’s family was not in the house and is safe, she said. 

“I’ve been in that house and have memories in that house, so seeing it come down the river was just pretty heartbreaking,” Carpenter told AP. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

About a dozen roads were closed because of debris, Gladden said, and the cleanup is underway after water receded.

Another 30 minutes later and it’s hard to tell where the riverbed is. The river is now in major flood stage at over 15 feet. Stay away from the river! Seek higher ground NOW! #nmwx pic.twitter.com/gd3ecndelG

— NWS Albuquerque (@NWSAlbuquerque) July 8, 2025

The area around the Rio Ruidoso and much of Lincoln County was scorched last year by wildfires, making the soil unstable at the surface and more prone to flooding. Two people died in the South Fork and Salt fires, and hundreds of homes were destroyed in June 2024. 

Wildfires can significantly change the landscape, including reducing vegetation — which decreases the number of plants and roots to hold all the soil in place. The burn scars increase flash flood risks for at least two years, according to the federal Burned Area Emergency Response, which assessed the damage.

The Associated Press,

Omar Villafranca and

Carter Evans

contributed to this report.

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Kiki Intarasuwan is a news editor for CBS News & Stations.

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