Officials say monsoon rains in southern New Mexico triggered flash flooding that killed three people and was so intense an entire house was swept downstream in a mountain village that is a popular summer retreat.

A New Mexico mountain town hit by devastating wildfires last year saw dangerous flooding Tuesday after heavy rain fell on areas burned in the blazes, officials said. A spokesperson for the village of Ruidoso told NBC News that there had been rescues and some were still underway. No injuries or death had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon.

A flash flood is a rapid rise of water along a stream or in a low-lying urban area, the weather service said. Flash flooding can result from slow-moving thunderstorms, from numerous thunderstorms that develop repeatedly over the same area, or from heavy rains associated with tropical cyclones.