A lady died Sunday on the first day of the Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, according to the event and local police.
At 11:29 a.m., Burning Man emergency services reacted to a report of an unresponsive person in Black Rock City, according to a news release from the Burning Man Project. Life-saving measures were “attempted but failed,” officials stated. Black Rock City is a temporary city built for the annual festival.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office identified the lady as Kendra Frazer, 39. No hometown was mentioned. The sheriff’s department stated that her family had been alerted.
The office stated that an autopsy and drug tests must be performed before the cause and manner of death can be determined. Drug tests, often known as toxicology screenings, might take several weeks to complete.
In an earlier statement, the sheriff’s office stated that the festival notified it of “the potential death” of a participant at 11:37 a.m. on Sunday and that deputies responded and confirmed the death.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” stated Burning Man Project, the nonprofit organization that organizes the yearly festival.
It stated that festival participants can get help, including peer support, at Black Rock Rangers headquarters and outposts, as well as from the Black Rock City Emergency Services Department’s crisis support team.
“The safety and well-being of our staff and community are paramount,” according to the statement. “We are completely collaborating with local authorities while they examine this event. The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office investigates all deaths that occur within its jurisdiction.
Due to weather, the festival briefly shuttered its gates early Saturday for approximately 12 hours.
Last year, festivalgoer Leon Reece, 32, of Truckee, California, died after being discovered motionless on the festival grounds, authorities said. The coroner’s office suspected drug intoxication in September.
Reece died over a weekend of torrential rain, which muddied the venue, made the roads inaccessible, and forced many participants to leave on foot. Organizers momentarily closed traffic into and out of Black Rock City.
