39-year-old woman dies on first day of Burning Man Festival, cause under investigation

A 39-year-old woman died on the first day of Burning Man, the popular counterculture festival held each year in the Nevada desert, the New York Post reported. Kendra Frazer was found unconscious at the festival around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and was pronounced dead despite attempts to resuscitate her, Burning Man organizers said in a statement.

Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a statement on on facebook..

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Kendra’s family and friends,” Allen added.

Authorities said the death occurred before the official start of the event, which festival organizers said began at 6 p.m. The New York Post It was also reported that participants were not allowed to enter the festival grounds until midnight on Sunday.

“It is with a heavy heart that the Burning Man Project confirms the death of a participant at Black Rock City in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends who have suffered this loss. The participant has been identified by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office as 39-year-old Kendra Frazer,” Burning Man organizers said in a statement.

“On Sunday, August 25, 2024, at 11:29 a.m., Burning Man emergency personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive person. Life-saving measures were immediately attempted on scene, but were unsuccessful,” they added.

Burning Man is a nine-day festival of community and art, culminating in the symbolic burning of a large wooden puppet.

The event takes place in Black Rock City, a temporary city built in the Black Rock Desert in northwest Nevada.

According to the GuardianThe festival began early Sunday after the gates were closed for 12 hours due to severe weather.

Before the gates reopened, there were already around 20,000 people on the Playa, a mud-alkaline salt desert, and organizers expect more than 70,000 visitors during the entire nine-day event.