Woman who died at Burning Man festival identified
Authorities said Monday that they are investigating the death of a woman at the 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, about 100 miles north of Reno.
The Burning Man Project’s emergency services personnel were unsuccessful in attempted life-saving measures on the woman.
About a half-dozen other deaths have been reported at the festival since it moved from Baker Beach in San Francisco to the 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.
In a Monday update to a previous online release, Burning Man Project organizers wrote that the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman who died Sunday as 39-year-old Kendra Frazer. No hometown was immediately released.
“Our hearts go out to Kendra’s family and friends,” the Burning Man release said.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in an earlier statement that 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.
A call to the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office wasn’t immediately returned Monday.
Weather problems
The festival, which combines wilderness camping with a weeklong celebration of art for art’s sake, kicked off early Sunday after the gates had been closed for 12 hours following rain and muddy conditions.
An estimated 20,000 people were already on the playa before the gates officially opened to all ticket-holders.
Burning Man runs through Sept. 2. Organizers expect more than 70,000 people to attend this year’s event.
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 Las Vegas and Reno.
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.
It was disrupted by a protest blockade that was shut down by local authorities, and about a half inch of rain turned the playa into mud, making it difficult to drive and pedal bicycles. Authorities brought in cell towers and asked attendees to stay put until the rain cleared.
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.
