Burning Man 2023 live: Chaos unfolds as attendees make mass exodus after heavy rain stranded thousands
Burning Man festival-goer shows grim conditions after flooding chaos
More chaos has unfolded at the Burning Man festival as revellers clashed during the exodus from the Nevada desert.
Attendees finally began leaving the city at Black Rock City on Monday afternoon after severe flooding and muddy conditions left thousands stranded over the weekend.
During the mass exodus, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said that attendees “lashed out” at each other as they faced an eight-hour wait to leave.
“As usually happens in what Burners refer to as the ‘default world’ people allow their emotions to override their reasonableness and they are lashing out at each other as they leave the playa and attempt to make it to their next destination,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The man who died during the festival was also identified as 32-year-old Leon Reece. The exact cause and manner of Reece’s death are still pending but the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday that drug intoxication was suspected.
Meanwhile, officials continue to field conspiracies including a debunked theory that the festival was hit with an Ebola outbreak.
The annual burning of the man went ahead on Monday evening, after being delayed by the weather.
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Burning Man disaster was an ‘act of God’
Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that Burning Man revellers are being “brainwashed” into believing the washout has been caused by the climate crisis – which she claims was an act of God.
The Republican member of congress joined fellow conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his Info Wars show on Sunday night, where they both launched into their beliefs about the festival in the Nevada desert.
“They’re not allowed to leave and they’re basically probably being brainwashed that climate change is the cause of it and it’s going to destroy the Earth.”
She added: “And they’re, they’re feeling the panic. So, what’s going to happen, Alex?”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 September 2023 05:30
Burning Man revellers ‘lash out’ at each
The chaos of Burning Man isn’t over yet, with annoyed revellers lashing out at each other during the exodus from the festival site.
After a long weekend of unfortunate events and extreme weather – where a huge amount of rainfall turned the dry desert floor into a mud pit – tensions boiled over among some festivalgoers on Monday.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said that attendees “lashed out” at each other as the gates to the site finally opened but they were still left facing eight-hour waits to get out of the Nevada desert site.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 September 2023 05:00
The ‘temple’ set ablaze at Burning Man
The final event of lighting the ‘temple’ on fire took place on Tuesday night, marking the end of the Burning Man festival.
Revellers by tradition leave the names of departed loved ones and other remembrances to be burned in the temple. The wooden structure also acts as a space for the festival-goers to meditate.
For many, torching the temple has become the centerpiece of the burning — a more intimate, spiritual event than the rave-party-like immolation of the effigy.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 September 2023 04:53
Oliver Anthony among those ‘trapped’ at Burning Man amid flooding chaos
Oliver Anthony, the country artist behind the viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond”, is apparently among those stranded at Burning Man festival in Nevada.
Anthony, 31, was scheduled to be interviewed by the socialist political journal Midwestern Marx on Sunday (3 September); however, in a live stream, its presenters said the singer was “trapped” at Burning Man.
“Our man Oliver Anthony has been trapped in the flooding at Burning Man, this is what he told us over email,” one of the show’s three hosts explained.
“Oliver’s representative told us that he’ll be out there for at least another day. So honestly, right now, we’re mostly just concerned with his safety and hopefully he can make it out of this situation safe and then we can reschedule the interview for a different time.”
Ariana Baio6 September 2023 04:00
Exodus time nearly four hours
The exodus wait time is approximately four hours, according to a social media account linked to the Burning Man Project.
“Please be patient as you exit through Gate Road, and respect Burning Man staff who are working hard to make the Exodus experience as smooth and safe as possible,” it said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar6 September 2023 03:44
Nevada Department of Health reports ‘no unsual disease problems’
The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services reported that there were no unusual diseases found at Burning Man after conspiracy theories ran rampant online.
“The Division of Public and Behavioral Health has worked with Burning Man to oversee emergency medical services and environmental health, including some staff on site during the weather challenges,” a spokesperson for the Nevada Department of Health said in a statement provided to The Independent.
“Despite these challenges, staff report no unusual disease problems and that emergency services crews are all working together with no immediate concerns.”
Ariana Baio6 September 2023 02:00
Burning Man death caused by suspected drug intoxication
Leon Reece, 32, was found unresponsive on the remote and weather-hit Nevada festival grounds on Friday.
Graeme Massie6 September 2023 01:30
Watch: Burning Man festival-goer shows grim conditions after flooding chaos
Burning Man festival-goer shows grim conditions after flooding chaos
Ariana Baio6 September 2023 01:00
What’s it really like to survive nine days in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert?
In the dark hours of the morning, deep in the open desert, long-time “Burner” Stewie sits with his back to a flimsy orange plastic fence. Ski goggles perched on his head despite the lingering dust storm, he turns an embroidered badge over and over in his fingers. Bearing a map of where we are, it reads “EDGE OF THE KNOWN WORLD”.
Read more from Claire Dodd here.
Ariana Baio6 September 2023 00:00
ICYMI: Sheriff’s office names man who died at Burning Man
Authorities on Monday revealed the identity of the man who died at the Burning Man festival as thousands of attendees began their exodus from the northern Nevada desert following heavy rains.
The Pershing County sheriff’s office identified the man as 32-year-old Leon Reece.
Authorities received a call around 6.24pm (local time) on Friday about an unresponsive man on the ground at the ephemeral Black Rock City, sheriff Jerry Allen.
The man was being administered CPR by medical personnel at the festival as flooding on the playa due to heavy rains delayed the arrival of deputies.
By the time the deputies arrived, Reece was pronounced dead by the festival doctor, Sheriff Allen told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Ariana Baio5 September 2023 23:00