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Many of us are familiar with Burning Man, the ten-day music festival in the Nevada desert. The event primarily attracts affluent goofballs sporting dreadlocks who engage in dancing, chanting, and camping.

This year, however, things took a sharp turn for the worse. Unseasonal monsoon rains transformed the arid desert into a sprawling mud pit, trapping 73,000 festival-goers with no way to leave and instructions to shelter in place. As one might expect, the situation has deteriorated rapidly into unsanitary and hazardous conditions. Tragically, there are already reports of one fatality, squalid living conditions, and an outbreak of disease.

But right now, the number one problem is the very dangerous mud. According to the Reno Gazette, the dust at Burning Man is no joke:

The dust is known to stain not only clothes, but cars; it can seize your bike chain, crack your feet, and, not least of all, exhaust your lungs. From a cough to a cold to loss of voice, Burners call the aftermath of breathing in dust daily “playa lung.” “Normally, you could see two miles on a clear day on the playa.

Now that the dust has turned to mud, is that an improvement? Doubtful. It’s causing severe cracked feet and even leading to conditions like ‘trench foot.’

@roshothewise

#bm2023 #burningman breakfast in the mud

♬ original sound – Rosho

Business Insider:

According to the CDC, trench foot “occurs when the feet are wet for long periods of time.” Symptoms of trench foot can include tingling, itching, pain, swelling, cold and blotchy skin, numbness, and a prickly or heavy feeling in the foot.

Feet may appear red, dry, and painful, per the CDC. Then blisters may form, “followed by skin and tissue dying and falling off.”

But, the crazy online rumors about Burning Man are swirling, including claims that FEMA has promptly designated the site a “disaster area.” While there’s no verified information to substantiate these allegations, speculation is rampant. People are convinced that FEMA’s presence isn’t just for show but that they’re quietly addressing a serious outbreak involving diseases marked by boils and lesions. This is likely where the Ebola rumors started. As far as we can tell, there’s no confirmation of Ebola, but hey, it’s still early, so…

Again, as it stands, Burning Man is not officially a “national emergency,” but the situation is looking increasingly grim.

Food and water are running low, and they’re unable to clean out the portable bathrooms, which are reportedly overflowing everywhere, making for very unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

The saddest part in all of this is that someone has lost their life.

ABC 30:

As thousands of people remain unable to leave the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert after heavy rains inundated their campsites with ankle-deep mud Saturday, authorities say they are investigating a death at the event.

Attendees were told to shelter in place in the Black Rock Desert and conserve food, water and fuel after a rainstorm swamped the area, forcing officials to halt any entering or leaving of the festival.

Burning Man organizers created a survival guide Sunday for festivalgoers that they said will be updated regularly as conditions change.

The remote area in northwest Nevada was hit with 2 to 3 months worth of rain – up to 0.8 inches – in just 24 hours between Friday and Saturday mornings. The heavy rainfall fell on dry desert grounds, whipping up thick, clay-like mud that festivalgoers say is too difficult to walk or bike through.

“More rain is expected over the next few days and conditions are not expected to improve enough to allow vehicles to enter the playa,” the Bureau of Land Management said in a statement obtained by the Reno Gazette Journal.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said it’s investigating “a death which occurred during this rain event.” Authorities did not publicly name the person or provide details on the circumstances of the death.

“The family has been notified and the death is under investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a late Saturday news release.

Among those at Burning Man were comedian Chris Rock and DJ/songwriter Diplo. However, these two didn’t let the mud keep them stuck; they actually trekked about five miles through the muck before hitching a ride from a fan to escape.

Former Obama official Neal Katyal also made it out unscathed.

Check out that creepy shirt and necklace.

The best and the brighteset?

The forecast predicts more rain in the coming days, making it anyone’s guess how this ordeal will unfold. One thing’s for sure: Burning Man has now dethroned the previous reigning disaster, Fyre Festival, to claim the title of the most horrific festival to date.

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