Burning Man festivalgoers, including Chris Rock and Diplo, had been dealing with unexpected conditions.
After rainfall caused intense flooding in the desert, Nevada officials issued a shelter-in-place order.
Rock, 58, and Diplo, 44, were two of the attendees frantically searching for a way out of the situation, which made headlines on Saturday, September 2.
“A fan offered Chris Rock and I a ride out of a Burning Man in the back of a pick up,” the DJ captioned an Instagram selfie video. “After walking six miles in the mud, all Chris could think about was a f—king cold brew [drink].”
In the video, Diplo, who was dressed in a gray tee and ski goggles, sat in the back of a stranger’s open-air truck. Rock also looked casual in a New York Knicks jacket, which he paired with a black baseball cap.
Diplo further explained in his Instagram caption that he “legit walked the side of the road for hours” and even hitchhiked with his “thumb out.” Diplo added that he needed to leave the festival to make it to his concert in Washington D.C. later that evening. “I have a show in D.C. tonight and didn’t want to let y’all down,” he added. “Also shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment ❤️.”
Rock also documented the pair’s ordeal, showing footage of the thick mud on his own Instagram Story on Saturday.
Diplo proclaimed via his Instagram Stories that they eventually “made it out” of Burning Man — and in time for his concert. “No one was making it out of Burning Man, they didn’t believe we would walk 6 miles in the mud,” he captioned a second post while sitting on a private plane. “No one believed we would get to DC for the show tonight. But, God did.”
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The desert, which is the home of Burning Man, received up to 0.8 inches of rainfall on Friday, September 1, and Saturday, September 2. Due to the intense amount of rain, the dirt on the ground turned into a thick, clay-like mud that was difficult to maneuver through on foot or by car.
Local officials urged attendees of the weeklong festival to “shelter in place” and conserve their food and water. Organizers also requested anyone traveling to Burning Man on Saturday should avoid making the trek.
“Participants inbound for the event should turn around and head home,” the Bureau of Land Management told NBC News in a Saturday statement.
According to X (formerly Twitter) posts on the festival’s Traffic page, organizers shut down the Black Rock City gates and no cars were permitted on the grounds except for emergency vehicles.
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“The gate and airport in and out of Black Rock City remain closed. Ingress and egress are halted until further notice,” a Saturday tweet read. “No driving is permitted except emergency vehicles. If you are in BRC, conserve food, water, and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space.”
As of Sunday, September 3, the gates are still closed as a new X post advised guests to “stay safe.” Police Officer Nathan Carmichael, who works with the local Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, even told CNN that more than 70,000 individuals are stranded and multiple RV campers are “stuck in place.”
Officials are also investigating one attendee’s death, which “occurred during this rain event,” per a Saturday press release from the sheriff’s department. “The family has been notified and the death is under investigation.”
According to CNN, the unidentified individual had been found unconscious on the playa — a sunken dry lakebed in a desert that can become soaked with the presence of a small amount of rain — and attempts to revive them were unsuccessful.
Miranda Siwak
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