RUIDOSO, N.M. – For the past two days, law enforcement and fire crews were hustling to evacuate Ruidoso residents from two fast-moving wildfires. Now, they’re evacuating due to extremely dangerous flash floods.

This much-needed rain started pouring around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, and it came down hard.

The rain helped fire crews working to contain the South Fork and Salt fires after growing, and scorching another 3,000 acres overnight. But it brought even more danger to the mountain town.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency shortly after the storm started, urging anyone left in Ruidoso to drop everything and find higher ground. 

It also forced emergency management crews to evacuate their posts because flash floods in the area are as dangerous as the wildfires.

Ruidoso is surrounded by massive burn scars from previous wildfires. We’re talking up to 58,000 acres of recovering forest land, and that means there’s not much vegetation to slow all the water down.

So when the rain comes down hard, the water moving down the mountain and into Ruidoso is fast and furious.

KOB 4 hasn’t been able to get back into Ruidoso after that storm, so it’s hard to know how much damage the floods caused Wednesday, or how much the rain affected the fires.

But we saw several small fires around town Tuesday. This storm almost certainly helped put those out, allowing crews to focus their efforts on the big fires.

As of this Wednesday morning, fire officials still estimated at least 1,400 homes or other structures are destroyed.

MORE:

• Here’s how to help people impacted by South Fork Fire and Salt Fire
• First look at damage from Ruidoso fire
• South Fork Fire and Salt Fire: 2 dead, 23,000 total acres burned, more info