Storm forces 73,000 festival-goers to seek shelter

author: FutureCar Staff    

Federal officials made the decision to shut down the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert on Saturday due to heavy rainfall. The annual arts and music event turned into a dangerous and muddy environment, prompting organizers to advise the more than 73,000 participants to seek shelter.

The Bureau of Land Management, the public agency responsible for managing the festival's location, instructed those heading to the event to turn back and return home. Access roads were closed due to the current weather conditions and the expectation of further rain.

Prior to the closure, organizers had already urged attendees to conserve their food and water supplies. Vehicles were prohibited from using the roads, forcing participants, known as Burners, to spend the night in tents and RVs covered in mud.

The temperatures dropped to the low 50s during this time. Event organizers emphasized that only emergency vehicles were allowed to drive on the festival grounds and advised everyone in Black Rock City to stay in place and remain safe.

Participants are typically responsible for bringing their own food, water, and shelter for the duration of the event. The inclement weather, caused by the remnants of Hurricane Hilary, also led to the closure of a small airport and the suspension of cleaning services for the portable toilets used by Burning Man attendees.

The storm resulted in a loss of cell phone service for many individuals. Pictures of vehicles covered in mud and roads filled with deep puddles drew comparisons to the ill-fated Fyre Festival in the Bahamas in 2017. The organizer of that event, Billy McFarland, was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and using fake documents to deceive investors out of $26 million.

The Burning Man event, which began on August 27, is scheduled to conclude on Monday with a mass departure known as Exodus.

FutureCar Staff