October 21, 2026 · View in browser

After wildfires scarred the Sacramento Mountains above Ruidoso, New Mexico, the community was under heightened threat of catastrophic flooding. Officials were aware but continued to promote the town to tourists who were oblivious to the danger.

In 2024, two severe wildfires had burned areas above the town, which sits on a river canyon. Intense fires can exacerbate flooding and debris flow risk, and engineers had predicted that the threat would exist for years. How, I wondered, had three people died when the town’s leaders knew the area had become increasingly dangerous? 

To try to find out, I drove to Ruidoso seven times in the next 14 months, speaking frequently with the village’s mayor, Lynn Crawford, and other officials. When ProPublica visuals editor Cengiz Yar and I first met Crawford, he expressed frustration that people were seeking to assign responsibility. “Who’s to blame?” he said. “I didn’t start the fire.” 

I continued reporting and submitted at least 36 public records requests to 11 municipal governments and state agencies. Maybe all these records requests seem excessive for reporting on a relatively small town. But what happened in Ruidoso is a story important for the West, where post-fire flooding is an increasingly severe threat. And the more I reported and became better sourced, the more I met people who spoke openly with me about the village’s failings during the July flood. Local rescuers in particular wanted the public to understand what went wrong last summer, because they were worried the village was once again overly focused on tourism. Eventually, I was also able to speak with the parents of the children who passed away. They said they wanted their children to be remembered.

As my editors and I were wrapping up final edits on this story, I reached out to a rescuer I had interviewed to make sure the reporting was accurate and to let him know we were close to publishing. He said something that stuck with me: “I hope it does help others who are going to go through the same thing and that they learn from our shortcomings.” I hope you’ll read the story.

Three people died in Ruidoso on July 8, 2025, after dangerous floods swept through the New Mexico town. Despite the tragedy, first responders say the village’s leadership continues to prioritize tourism at the expense of public safety.

ProPublica reporter Abe Streep consulted seven emergency response experts outside Ruidoso to understand what went wrong. The tragedy “should be a clarion call” for officials to reevaluate how rescuers are deployed, one expert said.

The Village of Ruidoso did not respond to detailed written questions about its emergency response, and it has not publicly released a report on rescue efforts during the flood. Reached by phone, the fire chief, Cade Hall, disputed our reporting but declined to provide specifics. Mayor Lynn Crawford has said protecting the village includes balancing public safety with tourism, the lifeblood of its economy.

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