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Join Telegram ChannelAuthorities are investigating a death on the first day of the famous Burning Man festival in the northern Nevada desert.
The Pershing County Sheriff's Office said emergency personnel responded to a call about a woman found unconscious around noon Sunday in Black Rock City — a temporary town erected for the festival, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Reno.
Burning Man emergency services failed to save the woman's life.
“It is with heavy hearts that the Burning Man Project confirms the death of an attendee at Black Rock City in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” festival organizers said in a statement, adding, “We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate this incident.”
An aerial view of the annual Burning Man festival. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said Sunday's death will remain under investigation until a cause and manner can be determined, which will be updated upon completion of an autopsy.
Allen said the woman's name and age will not be released until her next of kin are notified. But festival organizers identified the woman as Kendra Frazer, 39.
The festival, which combines wilderness camping with a week-long celebration of the arts, kicked off early Sunday after gates were closed for 12 hours due to rain and muddy conditions.
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An estimated 20,000 people were already on the beach before the gates were officially opened to all ticket holders.
Known for its colorful themed camps, towering sculptures, drum circles, art cars and avant-garde theater, it has grown from a gathering of about 4,000 people in 1995 to 50,000 in 2010 and is now temporarily the third-largest city in Nevada after the metropolises of Las Vegas and Reno.
BLACK ROCK DESERT, USA: Burning Man dancers create patterns with fireworks in Nevada's Black Rock Desert just before burning a five-story neon-lit effigy of a man on the final night of the week-long festival on September 6. (Mike Nelson//AFP via Getty Images)
In 2023, the 35th annual Burning Man festival attracted approximately 73,000 people, with another 95,000 attending regional events around the world.
(Cindy Crawford/Instagram)
About a half-dozen other deaths have been reported at the festival since it was moved from Baker Beach in San Francisco to Nevada's Black Rock Desert in 1990. Last year, a 32-year-old California man died of suspected drug poisoning after being found unconscious on the festival grounds.
Other deaths recorded at Burning Man over the years include a woman who was hit by a bus in 2014 and a participant who fell under a trailer in 2007. In 1996, a friend of Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey was killed in a collision with a pickup truck while riding his motorcycle at night.
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Burning Man runs through September 2. Organizers expect more than 70,000 people to attend this year's event.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.