One death reported after storms leave thousands stranded at Burning Man Festival

Authorities in Nevada are investigating a death at the site of the Burning Man festival, where tens of thousands of attendees are stranded due to flooding from storms.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said the death happened during the event but offered few details, including the identity of the deceased person, KNSD-TV reported.

The death was reported a day after close to an inch of precipitation created mud-bath-like conditions in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, where the annual event takes place.

The Burning Man Organization on Saturday told attendees to shelter in place and said access into and out of the site is closed for the remainder of the event, which runs from Aug. 27 through Sep. 4. Only emergency vehicles are allowed to pass, the organization said in a statement.

“Conserve food, water, and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space,” the statement urged those stuck in the desert.

As of Sunday morning, the roads remained too muddy to officially open up the exits, festival organizers said. Some vehicles designed for off-road driving have been able to navigate the mud and successfully leave the event, they added.

Other attendees have chosen to walk several miles across the muck to exit the grounds.

The Burning Man Organization advised people not to make the foot journey at night.

“Make sure you have water and the strength to walk as much as 5 miles through the mud,” the nonprofit said. “This isn’t a simple solution, but it is a possible one should you need or want to make the trek.”

Music producer Diplo said he and comedian Chris Rock escaped the event on Saturday after walking 6 miles before hitching a ride from a fan in a pick-up truck.

“I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz I have a show in dc tonight and didnt want to let yall down,” he wrote in an Instagram post.

Neal Katyal, former acting Obama-era solicitor general, also made the trek out. He said he is safe after his first trip to the festival ended with “an incredibly harrowing 6 mile hike at midnight through heavy and slippery mud.”

The conditions put Burning Man community spirit to the test

The challenging conditions are testing a community of so-called burners, which touts self-reliance and communal effort among its core principles.

“We have come here knowing this is a place where we bring everything we need to survive,” the organization said in a statement on Saturday night. “It is because of this that we are all well-prepared for a weather event like this.”

“We have done table-top drills for events like this. We are engaged full-time on all aspects of safety and looking ahead to our Exodus as our next priority.”

Organizers said they would send mobile cell trailers and open up the internet to multiple areas throughout the desert playa, as well as try to help with buses out of the area. “Get some rest and spend some quality time with your campmates,” the festival said in the Saturday night statement. “We will all get out of this, it will just take time.”

Attendee Bobby White, who hosts the TV series Sailing Doodles, squelched through the mud against a backdrop of gunmetal skies and soggy tents in a YouTube video posted Saturday.

“Every time you step, you pick up more mud and it’s just really hard to move,” White said. “There is absolutely no way you could move a vehicle through this right now.”

Still, event volunteer Josh Lease said spirits on the ground remain high. In true Burning Man spirit, he said people are helping each other out — sharing warm clothes and phone chargers where they can — and music is blaring.

“It’s like any other Burning Man, just muddy,” he told NPR on Saturday evening.

The weather has forced the postponement of some art installation burns, including the burning of the namesake wooden-man effigy, a ritual that traditionally happens on Saturday night. That burn is now scheduled to take place at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday night, weather permitting, event officials said.

The Washoe County sheriff’s office said it’s working with the Bureau of Land Management, a federal body that patrols and permits the event, and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office to stay updated on the situation and offer support as needed.

This isn’t the first time the entrance has been blocked at this year’s festival.

A group of climate protesters caused miles of gridlock after parking a 28-foot trailer in the way at the start of the event.

More rain is expected through the weekend.

“I think we’re stuck here for another three or four days before we can get off this playa,” White said on Saturday. “Maybe longer.”

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