Woman dies on opening day of Burning Man festival: ‘Heavy hearts’

Authorities are investigating a death that occurred on the first day of the infamous Burning Man festival in the northern Nevada desert. 

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said emergency personnel responded to a call about a woman found unresponsive around noon Sunday in Black Rock City — a temporary city erected for the festival, some 100 miles north of Reno.

The Burning Man Project’s emergency services personnel were unsuccessful in attempting life-saving measures on the woman.

“It is with heavy hearts that Burning Man Project confirms the death of a participant in Black Rock City in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” festival organizers said in a statement, adding: “We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate this incident.”

Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said Sunday’s death will remain under investigation until a cause and manner can be determined, which will be updated at the conclusion of an autopsy.

Allen said the woman’s name and age won’t be released until her relatives can be notified. But festival organizers identified the woman as 39-year-old Kendra Frazer. 

The festival, which combines wilderness camping with a weeklong celebration of art, kicked off early Sunday after the gates had been closed for 12 hours following rain and muddy conditions.

BURNING MAN FESTIVAL DRAWS STAR-STUDDED CROWD WITH NUDITY AND ‘ORGY DOME’

An estimated 20,000 people were already on the playa before the gates officially opened to all ticket-holders.

Known for its colorful theme camps, towering sculptures, drum circles, art cars and avant-garde theatrics, it grew from a gathering of about 4,000 in 1995 to 50,000 in 2010 and now temporarily becomes Nevada’s third-largest city after metropolitan Las Vegas and Reno.

BLACK ROCK DESERT, UNITED STATES: Dancers at the “Burning Man” festival create patterns with fireworks in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada just prior to burning a five-story, neon-lit effigy of a man on the last night of the week-long festival 06 September.  (Mike Nelson//AFP via Getty Images)

In 2023, the 35th annual Burning Man festival was attended by an estimated 73,000 people with an additional 95,000 participating in regional events around the world.

(Cindy Crawford/Instagram)

About a half-dozen other deaths have been reported at the festival since it moved from Baker Beach in San Francisco to Nevada’s Black Rock desert in 1990. Last year, a 32-year-old California man died from suspected drug intoxication after being found unresponsive on the festival grounds.

Other deaths recorded at Burning Man over the years included a woman who was hit by a bus in 2014 and an attendee who fell under a trailer in 2007. In 1996, a friend of Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey was killed in a collision with a van while riding his motorcycle at night. 

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Burning Man runs through Sept. 2. Organizers expect more than 70,000 people to attend this year’s event.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.