Authorities are investigating the death of a 39-year-old woman on the first day of the Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
Burning Man emergency personnel found festival attendee Kendra Frazer, unresponsive around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the Burning Man Project and Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen. Deputies responded and confirmed her death, Allen said.
“Her cause and manner of death are still pending the results of an autopsy and toxicology screening,” the sheriff said in a statement Monday.
An overview of the camp at the Burning Man 2024 festival, August 25, 2024, in Black Rock City, Nev.
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“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” festival organizers said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our staff and the community is paramount. We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate.”
This year’s Burning Man festival runs from August 25 to September 2. About 80,000 people attend Burning Man each year, according to the festival’s website.
Last year’s festival was marred by downpourswith thousands stuck in mud and urged to stay put and save food until they could safely leave the festival grounds.
Vehicles line up to leave the site of the annual Burning Man festival on September 5, 2023 in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
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