A fatality has been reported at the Burning Man music and arts festival, where attendees have been forced into "survival mode" due to heavy rains that transformed the Nevada desert into a treacherous muddy terrain, according to authorities.
The Pershing County Sheriff's Office stated that the death occurred "during this rain event," but no further details about the individual's identity or cause of death have been disclosed. The festival, known for its counterculture atmosphere, was shut down earlier on Saturday due to the inclement weather caused by the remnants of Hurricane Hilary.
Over 73,000 attendees were instructed to remain in place, while those en route to the festival were advised to turn back and return home by the federal Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the event's location.
The festival organizers had previously urged participants to conserve their food and water supplies and prohibited vehicles from using the roads. As a result, festival-goers, known as Burners, spent the night huddled in tents and recreational vehicles covered in mud. Images and videos shared on social media depict attendees trudging through the muddy desert, some barefoot or wearing mud-soaked shoes and clothing, while others protect their footwear with bags.
Participants are responsible for providing their own food, water, and shelter throughout the duration of the event, which concludes on Monday with a mass departure known as Exodus.
Max Spooner, an attendee spotted carrying a mattress on his back, described the situation as a waiting game and entering survival mode. Spooner recounted the challenges of navigating through the mud to retrieve dry bedding from his car after his tent became wet on Friday night.
The festival grounds experienced temperatures dropping into the low 50s, exacerbating the already difficult conditions. Additionally, the storm caused widespread cell phone service outages, leaving many without communication capabilities.
An anonymous Los Angeles-based doctor expressed concerns about the health risks faced by stranded Burners, including the potential for contracting COVID-19, food poisoning, and hygiene-related illnesses due to limited cleaning supplies. The physician warned that if the rain continues, preventing the use of vehicles for several more days, people could become stranded, leading to resource shortages.
The combination of overflowing portable toilets, mud, and rain could contribute to the spread of infectious diseases. As the days progress and water scarcity becomes more apparent, sanitation and hygiene issues are expected to worsen, potentially resulting in illness if individuals are unable to leave the festival promptly.
The disrupted event has drawn comparisons to the ill-fated 2017 Fyre Festival in the Bahamas, where organizer Billy McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison for wire fraud and using fraudulent documents to deceive investors out of $26 million. Notably, comedian Chris Rock and DJ Diplo trekked six miles through the mud to escape the calamity, eventually hitching a ride in the back of a fan's pickup truck.
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