Burning Man Nevada live: Organisers plan festival finale as one dead and thousands stranded at Nevada site

Burning Man is already a test of “radical self-sufficiency” for festival goers but the 2023 event brought more hurdles than most would have imagined.

The start of the counter-culture festival was delayed by a rare hurricane on the west coast.

Then climate activists blocked the only road leading to the site in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert before being rammed by a tribal park ranger in his patrol truck.

US president Joe Biden has been briefed about more than 70,000 people being stranded at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, following a downpour on Sunday that turned the place into a sea of sticky mud.

The White House said in a statement said administration officials are monitoring the situation and are in touch with state and local officials.

Authorities are investigating a death at the site of the Burning Man festival in Nevada where thousands of attendees remain stranded after flooding from storms swept through the desert.

Organisers closed vehicle access to the festival on Saturday and revellers were left to trudge through mud, many barefoot or wearing plastic bags on their feet, after being urged to shelter in place and conserve food, water and other supplies.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said the death happened during the event but offered few details, including the person’s identity or the suspected cause of death.

The Independent’s Eleanor Noyce reports:

A screenshot of a text message exchange triggered a flood of misinformation on social media regarding a supposed Ebola outbreak at Burning Man.

The conspiracies escalated when people on X, formerly Twitter, shared doctored headlines from Forbes and fake tweets from Burning Man organizers and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Experts and physicians emphasized how unlikely an Ebola outbreak would be.

People use plastic bags to cover their shoes as others are seen with their boots covered in mud at the site of the Burning Man festival

In a statement to Indy100, a BLM spokesperson debunked speculation about an Ebola outbreak.

“I can confirm the event entrance was closed for the year because unusual rainfall caused muddy conditions where there was a full stop on vehicles, and not for an ebola outbreak,” the spokesperson said.

Attendees of Burning Man festival have been urged to shelter in place due to heavy downpours in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

More than 73,000 stranded “burners” have been told to remain at their campsites as a slow-moving rainstorm fell on the usually dry desert.

Organizers asked attendees to preserve food and water, and driving and biking was temporarily banned on the muddy roads.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating a death at the festival.

“As this death is still under investigation, there is no further information available at this time,” the agency said in a statement.

The sheriff’s office urged burners to shelter in place, noting that some people had managed to drive off the playa but had caused damage to its surface.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a death at Burning Man to KNSD-TV on Saturday but offered few details. The identity of the person and the cause and manner of death have not been released.

The Independent has reached out to the law enforcement agency.

Meanwhile, weather conditions prevented cleaning staff from emptying thousands of portable toilets, according to The Guardian. No driving is allowed except for emergency vehicles.

Chris Rock shared a picture on Instagram of the muddy roads and a line of portable restrooms that had reportedly not been emptied.

“Also, from what I understand, because of the flooding, the port-a-potties reportedly can’t be emptied,” Mr Rock wrote. “And because the gates are closed, people can’t get in to fill generators or deliver supplies.”

While many shared their frustrations on social media, others kept a festive attitude and continued dancing and drinking. Burner Mike Jed told the Associated Press that he and others had made a bucket toilet so they didn’t have to trudge as often through the mud to reach portable toilets.

“If it really turns into a disaster, well, no one is going to have sympathy for us,” Mr Jed told the AP. “I mean, it’s Burning Man.”

Organizers said they didn’t know when the roads would “be dry enough for RVs or vehicles to navigate safely”.

If weather conditions improve, vehicles could potentially depart by late Monday.

Stranded Burning Man attendee insists they’re ‘keeping the party going’

Many burners desperate to go back home after a chaotic weekend at Burning Man decided to make their way to the main road on foot, after officials restricted driving on the muddy and treacherous roads.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said some people had managed to drive off the playa but advised against doing so due to damage caused to the playa’s surface.

“Some people are walking out,” Sgt. Nathan Carmichael told CNN. “Whatever resources are out there, they will use and share with each other.”

Thousands of revellers are having issues communicating with concerned family members on Sunday.

Cell service is limited and access to the area was restricted.

Organizers said on Sunday that mobile cell trailers and public Wi-Fi sites were being placed across the Black Rock desert, CNN reports.

In addition, buses were sent to nearby areas where desperate festivalgoers may have walked while trying to make it out of Burning Man.