US: Fourth person reported drowned in flash floods post-wildfire

On Sunday, a man drowned in northern New Mexico, when a flash flood swept through a burn area left by the state’s largest recorded wildfire, according to a local rancher, marking the fourth such death reported in just over two weeks.

At about 2pm, a torrent of water carried the man's pickup truck off Highway 434, about 14.8km northeast of the town of Mora, according to Kenny Zamora, who said that the man's vehicle was found on his ranch.

"The water was so strong it pushed him into the arroyo," said Zamora, using the term for a (usually-dry) riverbed that runs during heavy rain.

The New Mexico State Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The reported incident follows the deaths of three people after flash flooding on July 21, partly in the burn area near the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Zamora said it was the fifth flash flood to hit his ranch.

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