Burning Man 2023 live: Chaos unfolds as attendees make mass exodus after heavy rain stranded thousands

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.”

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.

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.”

Leon Reece, 32, was found unresponsive on the remote and weather-hit Nevada festival grounds on Friday.

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.

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.

As 70,000 Burning Man festivalgoers were braving the elements, rumours of an Ebola outbreak reportedly sent panic through the desert city. It was yet another wild conspiracy theory created by bad actors on Elon Musk’s X.

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.