Four people have been confirmed dead after heavy downpours and flash flooding hit Arizona on Friday.
Phoenix took in more than 1.6 inches of rain, making for the wettest day in seven years for the city.
The historic mining town of Globe, roughly 90 miles to the east of Phoenix, saw roughly 2.5 inches in a single day.
The results have been tragic for the small 19th-century town of only 7,250 residents. As waters rose in Globe’s downtown area, the storage of a local propane distributor was flooded, sending roughly 1,000 propane tanks into the area.
Carl Melford, emergency manager in Gila County, told the AP, “There’s propane tanks everywhere through downtown Globe. Luckily none of them ignited or exploded.” Hazmat workers were sent to help with the scene.
Melford said that a massive search and rescue mission has been underway and an unnamed number of persons are still missing.
So far, two people were found dead in a flooded vehicle and another in the floodwaters near Globe. The search efforts had to be paused on Saturday as another storm passed through, causing creeks to rise again.
In suburban Phoenix, one person was found washed away by the floodwaters and drowned underneath a bridge.
The AP contributed to this report.
