Officials pleaded with people to get to higher ground after storms dumped rain on Ruidoso.

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.