Burning Man attendee dies on first day of 2024 festival, police launch investigation
A Burning Man attendee died on the first day of the ongoing 2024 festival at Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
The festival’s own emergency services responded to reports of an unresponsive individual on Sunday, 25th August, at 11:29 AM local time. “Once on scene, life saving measures were immediately attempted but were unsuccessful”, a statement from Burning Man officials read. “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 has identified the person as 39-year-old Kendra Frazer. No other details were shared. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of Frazer’s death, the Guardian reports.
“Kendra’s cause and manner of death are still pending results of an autopsy and toxicology screening”, Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a press statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kendra’s family and friends.”
Burning Man is offering peer and crisis support services to festival attendees in the wake of the tragedy. More information here.
There have been a number of deaths at the Black Rock City festival, set up about 100 miles north of Reno, with attendance of over 70,000 people across nine days this year. In 2023, a 32-year-old California man died after being found unresponsive on site. In 2017, a 41-year-old man died after running into a fire on the grounds.
The 2023 edition of Burning Man was met with road blocks from climate protests on the way in and severe flooding at the end, leaving more than 70,000 people stranded for at least a couple days.
