(WPXI0 – Flash flooding caused by torrential rains killed four people in northern West Virginia and rescue crews were searching for another four other people who were missing Sunday as authorities assessed damage to roads, bridges, natural gas lines and other infrastructure. Officials said 2.5 to 4 inches (6 to 10 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County within about a half hour on Saturday night. “We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped,” Lou Vargo, Ohio County’s emergency management director, said at a news conference on Sunday. Vargo added: “It happened so quickly and so fast. … I’ve been doing this for 35 years. I’ve seen major floods here in the city and the county. I’ve never seen anything like this.” Authorities said vehicles were swept into in swollen creeks, some people sought safety in trees and a mobile home caught fire. Jim Blazier, the fire chief in Wheeling in the state’s northern panhandle, said crews performed rescue operations into Sunday’s early morning hours. He said first responders regrouped Sunday morning and were focused on an area from the Ohio state line across the Ohio River to Wheeling Creek. “We’re searching the banks, we’re searching submerged vehicles, any debris we find along the trail and so forth,” Blazier said. “We’re using drones, search dogs and swift water personnel, and we have teams organized that are searching sectors that we’re trying to recover anybody that’s missing.” There were about 4,000 power outages in the county. Restoration efforts were hampered by natural gas leaks that have to be fixed first, officials said. Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed that four people died and four more were missing during a news conference later Sunday. He has since declared a state of emergency in Ohio County, while local emergency responders are asking people not to come into the flooded areas to view the devastation, particularly in hard hit Tridelphia.