An entire house swept downstream in New Mexico floods seen as a symbol of the devastation

RUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) — Residents were glued to the windows at a riverside brewery in Ruidoso, New Mexico, as a flash flood swept through town, carrying rocks and debris.

Nervous chatter filled the taproom at Downshift Brewing Company, where about 50 people were sheltering from monsoon rains that caused the Rio Ruidoso to swell to more than 20 feet (6.1 kilometers) on Tuesday, a tentative record. The gasps in the room grew louder as an entire house floated by, knocking down trees in its path.

The turquoise paint on the front door of the single-story white house with brown slats was barely visible under layers of mud. But local artist Kaitlyn Carpenter, who was filming the flooding on her phone, recognized it immediately as the family home of one of her best friends.

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

No one was inside the house that day. Carpenter said her friend stays elsewhere during the summer since the mountain town is prone to flooding.

Her image of the house has been widely shared as a stark symbol of the flood’s destruction.

Three people who were at a riverside RV park died after being swept away in the river, including two children. Dozens of homes have been damaged, and streets were clogged with mud and debris.

Farther down the river, pieces of metal and other debris were twisted around tree trunks. Broken tree limbs were wedged against homes and piled on porches. The water was thick with sediment and many roads still remained closed Wednesday.

The popular summer destination has been especially vulnerable to flooding since the summer of 2024, when the South Fork and Salt fires raced across tinder-dry forest and destroyed hundreds of homes. Residents were forced to flee a wall of flames, only to grapple with intense flooding later that summer.