Man’s death at Burning Man festival prompts homicide investigation

Miami: A man was found dead “lying in a pool of blood” at the popular Burning Man arts and music festival, prompting a homicide investigation by local and federal officials in Nevada, authorities said.

Deputies responded around 9.14pm on Saturday, local time, to a report of a man on the ground at the event’s campsite who was “obviously deceased”, Sheriff Jerry Allen of the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear how the man, whose identity the sheriff said was unknown, died. The body was taken to the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

The burn begins at the end of Burning Man 2023.Credit: X/@hereandthere03

The body was reported as the “Man” – the towering wooden sculpture shaped like a man – was beginning to burn.

Several participants in the immediate area were interviewed, the sheriff said.

“This process is still ongoing, and the portion of the ‘city’ where this occurred will have heavy law enforcement presence until the scene can be released,” he said.

The centre camp of the 2024 Burning Man festival in Black Rock City.Credit: nna\riwood

The forensic science division of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office was called to help in the investigation, along with rangers from the federal Bureau of Land Management, which manages the public land where the festival takes place.

“Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances,” Allen said.

“There is no further information available at this time, but it will be released as appropriate to provide for communication, while still preserving the integrity of the complicated investigation of a crime in a city, which will be gone by the middle of the week.”

In a statement, the organisers of Burning Man said resources and support were available to attendees.

A sunset gathering on the playa during the 2014 Burning Man festival.Credit: ALAMY

“If you are in Black Rock City, do not interfere with law enforcement activity,” the statement said. “The safety and well-being of our community are paramount.”

The festival, which began on August 24 and runs through Monday, draws tens of thousands of people each year to Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis that pops up each year in the middle of the Black Rock Desert, about 120 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada.

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