An effigy burns at the Burning Man event in Black Rock City, Nev., in 2007. Authorities said one attendee at the Burning Man Festival died on Sunday, the first day of this year’s planned event. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
Authorities said a woman who attended the Burning Man Festival died on the first day of the event on Sunday, which takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office did not release the name of the victim or say how she died, which was happened just before noon on Sunday. Her death remains under investigation. Advertisement
Burning Man Project emergency personnel found the woman unresponsive, the sheriff’s office said. The emergency crew performed what was described as life-saving measures to revive the woman but were unsuccessful.
“This death will remain under investigation until a cause and manner can be determined, which will be updated at the conclusion of an autopsy,” Sheriff Jerry Allen said, according to ABC News.
Burning Man organizers released a statement, expressing condolences over the death.
“We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate,” organizers said. “Out of respect for the privacy of the grieving family, we will not be providing further details at this time.”
The festival closed its gates temporarily for about 12 hours on Saturday because of constant rain.
Leon Reece, 32, of Truckee, Calif., died last year at Burning Man when he was found unresponsive at the festival. A coroner’s office suspected that drug intoxication played a role in his death, according to NBC News. Advertisement
Some 72,000 people attended the festival last year, which was plagued by rain.
