2015 Philmont Scout Ranch flash flood  On the morning of June 27, 2015, heavy rain occurred in a great portion of the Scouting reserve Philmont Scout Ranch, which is near Cimarron, New Mexico, United States, causing a flash flood. The flood also affected some other nearby areas in Colfax County that morning, including highways and small towns around Philmont. One youth Scout, Alden Brock, who was situated in a campsite within the staff camp Indian Writings, drowned while being swept away by the flood and died. The flood also had a significant impact on many individual crews and treks and significantly damaged some campsites. The 2015 flash flood is the largest documented flood in the history of Philmont, and is the only flood at Philmont that has ever caused the death of a person. Throughout much of the summer of 2015, parts of New Mexico were experiencing a monsoon season, likely due to an El Niño. Throughout the season, there had been many other flash flood warnings across New Mexico due to large storms. Fifty years before the 2015 flood, on June 17, 1965, a similar flash flood had occurred at Philmont Scout Ranch. On the night of June 26, the night before the flood, there were reports of hail and light rain in some areas of Philmont. On the early hours of the morning of June 27, the rain became heavier. At around 3:30 AM that morning, the National Weather Service issued a statement highlighting the threat of a flash flood in the area. At around 4:30 AM, a flash flood, with water levels of over 20 feet at the highest, occurred in several areas of Philmont. Some reported loud thunder and nearby lightning strikes before and during the flood. Outside of Philmont, there had been reports of mudflows and flooding along U.S. Route 64. Boulders also tumbled down from canyons in the Cimarron area, causing damage to and blockage of roads. The morning of June 27, when the flood occurred, Crew 380 from Sacramento, California, was entering the third day of their twelve-day trek. They were situated at a campsite in Indian Writings near North Ponil Canyon that was about 20 feet above a small portion of Ponil Creek. Four members of Crew 380, including 13 year-old Alden Brock, the ranger assisting the crew, and two other youth Scouts were swept away by the flood from their campsite at about 4:30 am. The New Mexico State Police arrived at around 9:35 AM on a search and rescue mission.