Woman Dies at Burning Man Festival’s Opening Day
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” festival organizers said in a statement
Andy Barron/Reno Gazette-Journal, File via AP
An image from the 2013 Burning Man festivalThe opening of this year’s Burning Man took a tragic turn when a woman died at the annual festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
Emergency services personnel at Burning Man responded to a report that someone was unresponsive at the grounds on Sunday, Aug. 25, at 11:29 a.m. local time, at which time they attempted life-saving measures but were “unsuccessful,” Burning Man organizers said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” the statement continued. “The safety and well-being of our staff and community are paramount. We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate this incident.”
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, which identified the female victim, is investigating the incident in Black Rock City and will not release the victim’s name until next of kin are notified.
PEOPLE reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment about the death and subsequent investigation but did not immediately hear back.
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An image taken at a past Burning Man in Nevada's Black Rock DesertRelated: Death Investigated at Burning Man During Storms That Have Left Thousands Stuck in Desert
The sheriff’s office told SFGate that the death is under investigation “until a cause and manner can be determined” with an autopsy.
This death comes one year after a 32-year-old Burning Man participant died in September 2023, when heavy rains trapped thousands of people in thick mud for days.
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Last year, Leon Reece was found unresponsive on Sept. 1, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a statement at the time, per The Daily Beast, The New York Post and The Reno Gazette-Journal.
JULIE JAMMOT/AFP via Getty
Burning Man attendees in 2023Related: Burning Man Victim Identified as 32-Year-Old Man as Festival 'Exodus' Delayed by Massive Traffic Jam
In a statement shared with PEOPLE in October 2023, the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office said the manner of Reece’s death was an accident due to drug intoxication: “His cause of death was acute cocaine, ethanol and 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine [also known as ecstasy, MDMA or molly] toxicity.”
Burning Man started in 1986. This year, the festival started Aug. 25 and began Sept. 2. The Burning Man website describes the city as “a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance” that attracts tens of thousands of festival-goers every year.
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