"The main reason was the South Fork Fire last year that burned directly west of Ruidoso," Grzywacz said. "The soil wasn't able to absorb any of the rainfall, and it runs right down into Ruidoso. Normally, if you had that vegetation still there, it could absorb it. For the Ruidoso monsoon season, it was above average rain but not record rainfall."

The two children were identified as Charlotte Trotter, 4, and Sebastian Trotter, 7, according to their aunt Tiffanie Wyatt. She said their father, Sebastian Trotter, a solder based at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and their mother, Stephanie, both suffered serious injuries but survived and were receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Texas.

At least three people died, including two children, after heavy rains triggered flash floods in New Mexico on Tuesday.

A man, a 4-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy were swept away Tuesday by floodwaters, the village of Ruidoso said in a statement.

The summer rainy season in New Mexico usually brings daily alerts about the potential for flooding around the arid state.

There will be no more horse races at Ruidoso Downs for 2025, after flood waters ravaged the race track for the second year in a row.

A Flash Flood Emergency is in effect for Ruidoso, New Mexico, as rapid rainfall rates cause flooding in burn scars from the South Fork Fire.

A New Mexico mountain village is preparing for another round of monsoon rains as it tries to dig out from historic flooding that killed a man and two children.

The overflowing floodwaters washed away local houses, broke trees, submerged roads, and caused miserable damage in Ruidoso.

The current map, as of Wednesday, July 9, of road closures by the Ruidoso All-Hazard Information Network, provided by the Ruidoso Office of Emergency Management, notes that many roads are washed out as a result of the rainfall. They include: