Burning Man festival attendee’s suspected cause of death revealed as mass exodus continues – live

Officials have revealed the suspected cause of death for the man who died at Burning Man as the festival descended into chaos with heavy rainfall, flooding and muddy conditions.

The man, identified as 32-year-old Leon Reece, was found unresponsive on the playa on Friday with emergency responders unable to revive him. The exact cause of Reece’s death is still pending but the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday that drug intoxication was suspected.

Attendees finally began leaving the city at Black Rock City on Monday afternoon after the extreme weather subsided and organisers reopened the route to vehicles.

Tempers frayed during the exodus with Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen saying that attendees “lashed out” at each other as they waited to leave the desert.

While Exodus wait times reached as much as seven hours, by Wednesday morning they were down to just 20 minutes, according to the latest social media post from the festival.

Officials also debunked a conspiracy theory that the festival was hit with an Ebola outbreak.

Key points

• Burning Man death caused by suspected drug intoxication

• What is Burning Man?

• The ‘temple’ set ablaze at Burning Man — marking end of festival

• Burning Man’s ‘2023 Wet Playa Survival Guide’

How Chris Rock and Diplo escaped Burning Man

04:00 , Ariana Baio

Chris Rock and Diplo have shared their experience of escaping Burning Man festival , with some 73,000 attendees stranded in the desert following heavy downpours in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

Diplo shared a video of the pair fleeing the chaos to Twitter/X, writing in the caption: “Just walked five miles in the mud out of Burning Man with Chris Rock and a fan picked us up.”

Watch: Burning Man revellers build mud sculptures

02:00 , Ariana Baio

Burning Man revellers build mud sculptures as thousands stranded after floods

Recap: Burning Man fans share heartbreak as desert venue is flooded by storm

Thursday 7 September 2023 00:00 , Ariana Baio

Burning Man festivalgoers are voicing their distress after the Black Rock City, Nevada, venue was hit with torrential rains during Tropical Storm Hilary this week.

Pictures and videos of the flooded playa have been circulating on social media, with organisers asking attendees to “please be patient”.

“It’s not something we typically see,” Justin Collins, a forecaster with the weather service’s Reno office, told SFGATE.com. “All this rain all at once is pretty unusual in summer. You see it in winter more.”

Tom Murray reports:

Burning Man attendees share heartbreak as desert venue is flooded by storm

Viral country star Oliver Anthony among those ‘trapped’ at Burning Man

Wednesday 6 September 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio

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.

The annual arts festival has been plunged into chaos after rare, severe rains flooded the Black Rock Desert, leaving behind thick mud, which has grounded vehicles.

More than 70,000 “Burners”, as the festival’s attendees are referred to, were urged to hunker down and conserve supplies.

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.

CDC confirms no Ebola, Mpox or Marbug at Burning Man

Wednesday 6 September 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio

In a statement provided to The Independent, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed there are no reports of Ebola at Burning Man.

“CDC has not received any reports of Ebola at the Burning Man Festival and has not issued any warnings or had any requests for assistance from the state and local health departments either,” a spokesperson for the CDC said.

“Additionally, we have not received reports of Mpox or Marburg, and to our knowledge a national emergency for the flooding has not been declared.”

Diplo pokes fun at Burning Man in recap post

Wednesday 6 September 2023 21:00 , Ariana Baio

What’s it really like to survive nine days in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert?

Wednesday 6 September 2023 20:00 , Ariana Baio

The infamous gathering (it’s most definitely not a festival) just finished for another year – but what’s it actually like to pitch up for the full nine days?

Claire Dodd reports:

This is what it's really like to spend nine days at Burning Man

Cindy Crawford, Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber also escaped Burning Man

Wednesday 6 September 2023 19:00 , Ariana Baio

Cindy Crawford, Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber also escaped Burning Man as the festival became a washout.

Diplo and Chris Rock shared online over the weekend that they had walked miles to leave the site as it was hit with heavy rainfall.

In an interview with CNN, Diplo revealed that they were joined by more celebrities: “[Rock] had his New York Knicks jacket on and he just got up with us and started walking. And we walked about three hours in the mud. He was happy. It was me, I think Cindy Crawford walked with us.

“Kaia Gerber, Austin Butler, Randy Gerber, a writer, a couple of producers from TV, a couple of people who just wanted to get home to their children. They didn’t take no for an answer.”

What are the three-eyed ‘dinosaur shrimp’ resurfacing after Burning Man?

Wednesday 6 September 2023 18:00 , Ariana Baio

Who would have thought a small, yet peculiar creature could stir up such a scene in the Nevada Desert?

After heavy rains from Tropical Storm Hilary turned a dry desert into a mud pit, revellers at the Burning Man Festival were left trapped on site.

Faiza Saqib reports:

What are the three-eyed ‘dinosaur shrimp’ resurfacing after Burning Man?

What the Burning Man Exodus looked like

Wednesday 6 September 2023 17:00 , Ariana Baio

ICYMI: Burning Man death caused by suspected drug intoxication

Wednesday 6 September 2023 16:00 , Ariana Baio

A California man likely died at the mud-impacted Burning Man festival from drug intoxication, a coroner’s office has said.

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

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.

Deputies were called to the festival grounds at 6.24pm local time on Friday but because of “the unusual rain event happening on the Playa, access to the area and investigative efforts were delayed,” stated the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office.

Burning Man reminds attendees to dispose of waste

Wednesday 6 September 2023 15:00 , Ariana Baio

As the final attendees of Burning Man hit the road to travel back home, organisers are reminding them to leave no waste behind in the Black Rock Desert.

“There is a small, yet significant, portion of people who do it wrong and unfortunately dump their trash at locations such as rest stops, RV parks, hotels, convenience stores, or worse — in front of people’s homes. This is a terrible insult to our neighbors and an absolute disgrace to the Burning Man community. It is also illegal, and if you are caught, can result in a $2,000 fine for littering and a run-in with local law enforcement,” a press release from Burning Man says.

“To be clear, dispose of your waste at these authorized Leave Nevada Beautiful locations or take it all the way home with you.”

Leave Nevada Beautiful is part of the network that helps Burning Man attendees recycle and throw away trash as well as dispose of waste.

Ted Cruz tries to reclaim joke amid Burning Man chaos after he fell for shark hoax

Wednesday 6 September 2023 14:00 , Ariana Baio

After falling for the “Hurricane Shark” hoax during Tropical Storm Hilary, Ted Cruz wanted to let everyone know he was in on the joke this time.

The Texas senator, and prolific content creator, shared a doctored image on Tuesday purporting to show a shark on a flooded highway near the Burning Man festival on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Holy crap,” Mr Cruz wrote, along with a crossed fingers emoji, to indicate he was in on the ruse.

The shark meme, which began circulating in 2011, has become an infamous online prank well-known to most savvy social media users, but apparently not Mr Cruz.

Bevan Hurley reports:

Ted Cruz tries to reclaim joke amid Burning Man chaos after he fell for shark hoax

Watch: Burning Man attendees leave site after flooded festival finishes

Wednesday 6 September 2023 13:00 , Ariana Baio

Danica Patrick describes ‘epic’ Burning Man

Wednesday 6 September 2023 10:00 , Ariana Baio

Danica Patrick, the former racecar driver, described an “epic” Burning Man experience complete with lots of mud thanks to the rain.

“The mud,” Patrick wrote on Instagram complete with several photos showing how deep and messy the mud was during this year’s festival.

“It was beyond memorable!!! The people and purpose make it so. Rain and mud can’t touch the spirit of BM,” Patrick continued.

Diplo shares his experience from the Burning Man

Wednesday 6 September 2023 09:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Diplo managed to escape the Burning Man festival this weekend while some 73,000 attendees were stranded in the playa following heavy downpours in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

Burning Man death caused by suspected drug intoxication

Wednesday 6 September 2023 09:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

A California man likely died at the mud-impacted Burning Man festival from drug intoxication, a coroner’s office has said.

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

The exact cause and manner of Reece’s death are still pending but the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement that drug intoxication was suspected.

Graeme Massie reports.

Burning Man death caused by suspected drug intoxication

A problem at last year’s Burning Man: trash left behind

Wednesday 6 September 2023 08:00 , Ariana Baio

Residents of a popular stop-over location for Burning Man attendees have complained about illegal waste being dumped in the neighbourhood after the annual Black Rock Desert event ended this week.

Tents, food and alcohol bottles have all been spotted around Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border and neighbouring Reno, Nevada, in the days following the 2022 addition of Burning Man, business owners, locals and officials told SFGate.

“What I’ve seen are large construction bags of trash, alcohol bottles, tons of food, tents and large aluminum poles from shade structures,” said a business owner in Truckee, California, to the news outlet.

Locals furious over mess left by Burning Man festival

Elon Musk calls Burning Man ‘best art on Earth’

Wednesday 6 September 2023 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Elon Musk offered lofty praise to the Burning Man festival - after this year’s event descended into disaster with one person dead and thousands left stranded in the Nevada desert after intense floods.

“Burning Man is unique in the world,” Mr Musk wrote on his platform X. “Hard to describe how incredible it is for those who have never been. Best art on Earth.”

The post drew scrutiny for two reasons. First off, it came as the desert festival is suffering from utter chaos on all sides — torrential floods caused by Tropical Storm Hilary, false claims of an Ebola outbreak, tens of thousands of stranded attendees, and even a death caused by reasons “unrelated to the weather.”

On top of this mess, Mr Musk seemed to be commenting on a video from Paris Fashion Week in 2022 — not Burning Man.

Kelly Rissman reports.

Elon Musk calls Burning Man ‘best art on Earth’ amid festival chaos

Daughter of Monaco princess Stephanie documents exit from Burning Man

Wednesday 6 September 2023 06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Princess Stephanie of Monaco’s daughter, Pauline Ducruet, has shared her escape from Burning Man on social media.

The eldest daughter of the royal gave her followers a glimpse of her getaway from the muddy grounds of the annual arts festival in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada after organizers lifted the driving ban at 2pm on Monday.

Ducruet, 29, posted on her Instagram Story a photo of the Black Rock Desert range through a car windshield and the open route ahead, captioned, “We out”.

The Alter designer also posted a photo of herself among a group dressed up in festival-ready garments that appeared to be taken before rain stranded thousands of festival-goers. “When it was dry and fun,” Ducruet wrote over the photo on her Story.

Olivia Hebert has more.

Princess Stephanie of Monaco’s daughter documents exit from Burning Man amid rain

Ted Cruz jumps on Burning Man conspiracy theory jokes

Wednesday 6 September 2023 06:00 , Ariana Baio

After falling for the “Hurricane Shark” hoax during Tropical Storm Hilary, Ted Cruz wanted to let everyone know he was in on the joke this time.

The Texas senator, and prolific content creator, shared a doctored image on Tuesday purporting to show a shark on a flooded highway near the Burning Man festival on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Holy crap,” Mr Cruz wrote, along with a crossed fingers emoji, to indicate he was in on the ruse.

The shark meme, which began circulating in 2011, has become an infamous online prank well-known to most savvy social media users.

Burning Man revellers ‘lash out’ at each

Wednesday 6 September 2023 05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

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.

Amelia Neath reports.

Burning Man revellers ‘lash out’ at each other during exodus from washout festival

The ‘temple’ set ablaze at Burning Man

Wednesday 6 September 2023 04:53 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

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.

Oliver Anthony among those ‘trapped’ at Burning Man amid flooding chaos

Wednesday 6 September 2023 04:00 , Ariana Baio

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.”

Exodus time nearly four hours

Wednesday 6 September 2023 03:44 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

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.

Nevada Department of Health reports ‘no unsual disease problems'

Wednesday 6 September 2023 02:00 , Ariana Baio

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.”

Burning Man death caused by suspected drug intoxication

Wednesday 6 September 2023 01:30 , Graeme Massie

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

Burning Man death caused by suspected drug intoxication

Watch: Burning Man festival-goer shows grim conditions after flooding chaos

Wednesday 6 September 2023 01:00 , Ariana Baio

ICYMI: Sheriff’s office names man who died at Burning Man

Tuesday 5 September 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio

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.

In Photos: Burners leave this year’s festival

Tuesday 5 September 2023 21:00 , Ariana Baio