'70,000 Isolated at US Jamboree'?... Festival Turns Muddy as Storm Hits Desert

Access Restricted at Nevada's 'Burning Man' Event Site
Self-Sufficient Festival Urges "Conserve Food and Water" Emergency

Heavy rain poured down in the US desert, leaving about 70,000 people participating in the 'Burning Man' festival stranded.

On the 2nd (local time), US daily The Washington Post (WP) and others reported that a storm hit the Nevada desert, where participants of the 'Burning Man' festival held in the 'temporary city' Black Rock City, built for the festival, were stranded.

Burning Man is a festival held annually from the first Monday of August to the first Monday of September since 1986, focusing on themes such as art and self-expression. The festival got its name from the program of burning a human-shaped effigy. During the festival, the organizers set up a temporary city called Black Rock City in the Nevada desert.

This year’s festival temporarily restricted access to the area several days before the event to dry the wet ground caused by Hurricane Hillary, which brought heavy rain to the southwestern US. The festival opened on the 27th of last month but was closed after four days due to renewed heavy rain.

That evening, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the US Department of the Interior announced that access to the Burning Man site would be blocked until the 4th. The Nevada Department of Transportation also closed nearby roads due to flooding.

The Burning Man organizers issued a statement that morning saying, "Due to heavy rain, the gates and airport entering and exiting Black Rock City will be closed," and "Driving is prohibited except for emergency vehicles until the playa surface dries." The playa refers to the low-lying desert basin that turns into a lake during the rainy season.

Additionally, the organizers advised participants to conserve food, water, and fuel and to stay in safe spaces. Since the Burning Man festival is based on self-sufficiency, participants must provide their own food, drinking water, and temporary shelter.

It is uncertain when access to the event site will resume, but WP reported that the heavy rain is expected to stop on the evening of the 3rd.

One participant, Hannah Burhorn, told CNN in an interview, "The mud sticks to our shoes making them heavy, so people are walking barefoot," and "Those who tried to escape by bicycle are stuck and unable to move."

Some participants are walking out of the festival site to leave the desert. Their plan is to walk about 3 km to a nearby road and then hitch a ride from passing cars to return home.

The group that succeeded in escaping reportedly took two hours to cover the 3 km. She said, "Walking on the mud was truly hellish," and "Every step felt like walking with my feet tied to cement blocks."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.