Whatever hopes Burning Man organizers had of avoiding the disaster that befell last year’s festival have been quickly dashed. A mere hours into this year’s event, festival organizers reported that one of its attendees had died. According to a release from the Burning Man Project, emergency services were called to reports of an unresponsive woman in Black Rock City on Sunday. “Life saving measures were immediately attempted but were unsuccessful,” a festival release reads, adding an investigation is currently underway by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office. The incident follows after the event was forced to temporarily close its gates on Sunday due to roughly 12 hours of non-stop rain. The development similarly recalls the death of 32-year-old Leon Reece at last year’s event following inclement weather that trapped many participants as they were advised to “shelter in place.” According to a CBS News report, the festival failed to sell out for the first time in almost a decade.
