Officials identify individual who died at Burning Man

A man attending this year’s annual Burning Man festival died Friday, as a cold and wet weather system bore down Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, multiple media outlets reported. 

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office identified the man on Monday as 32-year-old Leon Reece, the Reno Gazette Journal reported. 

“The sheriff’s office did not say where Reece was from but said his family has been notified,” the Gazette Journal said. “The cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Washoe County Medical Examiner.”

The Independent said the sheriff’s office received a report about an unresponsive man on the Playa at 6:24 p.m. on Sept. 1; medics administered CPR but their efforts failed and Reece was pronounced dead.

The gates and airport at Burning Man were both closed on Friday as an unusually wet storm turned the desert floor known as the playa into mud. Festival officials asked people to conserve water and food, and the burning of the Man, which usually takes place on the Saturday night before Labor Day, was delayed until Monday. 

With the rains passing, the ground started to dry out Monday, and the exodus began. The wait to exit was reported to be up to seven hours Monday night. 

“The Playa is driveable in some places but does have some mud, soft spots, and standing water in others,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement issued Monday to SFGATE. The sheriff’s office also debunked reports of an Ebola outbreak at the festival. 

The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to questions about the death reported at Burning Man.