Burning Man Attendees Finally Leave Site; Rumors of Ebola Outbreak Spread

Photo: JULIE JAMMOT / AFP / Getty Images

More details concerning the death of a Burning Man participant in the Nevada desert are being made public by officials.

Authorities announced on Saturday that a person had passed away at the festival, but few other information were available. Organizers provided an update on Monday and stated that the death was "unrelated to the weather."

The 40-year-old man was reported to emergency services on Friday, but they were unable to revive him. However, as people left in large numbers, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen claimed that as they waited eight hours to go, partygoers "lashed out" at one another.

“As usually happens in what burners refer to as the ‘default world’ people allow their emotions to override their reasonableness and they are lashing out at each other as they leave the playa and attempt to make it to their next destination,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Moreover, outlandish conspiracy theories about Burning Man are being rebutted online by a sheriff in Nevada. X and TikTok saw a torrent of false information circulate as the event fizzled out over the weekend. One of the most widespread rumors was that there had been an Ebola breakout during the festival, with some spies asserting that the illness had claimed numerous lives.

According to the Burning Man Project and the Bureau of Land Management, there is no basis for any rumors of an Ebola breakout or any other disease, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen stated on Monday.

Burning Man continued the celebration despite the rain, torching its 75-foot tall effigy known as "the man" in a ritual last night.


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