‘Cold, wet’: B.C. man stranded at rained-out Burning Man festival

A B.C. man is speaking out about his experience at Burning Man after being stranded in the Nevada desert for days.

Mark Fromson and his partner were among thousands of people who were stuck in a sea of mud at the popular festival after unexpected summer rains drenched the region.

Thousands of festival-goers were told to shelter at the site and conserve food and water after officials closed the roads due to the conditions.

“We didn’t have the proper clothing,” he told Global News. “I got quite cold quite fast and quite wet.”

Fromson said other festival-goers stepped in to help, giving them clothes and food.

“They literally gave us the clothes off their back,” he said. “They said, ‘Don’t worry about it, you can get it to us after the burn.’ They fed us and they made sure we were warm and safe.”

Some festival-goers tried to drive out early but became stuck in the mud.

“There (was) literally hundreds of RVs and cars stuck in the mud on the way out of the festival,” Fromson said. “And so what happens is they get stuck in the mud and then the mud dries. And basically, your vehicle’s encased in about six inches of concrete.”

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With drying conditions, festival organizers reopened the road leading out of the remote Nevada desert festival on Monday, allowing those who wanted to leave a chance to get out. They were told to drive slowly and carefully along the dirt road, which is eight kilometres to the nearest highway.

However, many have decided to stay until Tuesday and have the chance to watch the festival’s giant namesake effigy go up in flames.

The site in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert sits atop the former Lake Lahontan, which the U.S. Geological Society describes as a deep lake that existed as recently as 15,000 years ago. It is about 25 kilometres from the nearest town and 177 kilometres north of Reno.

One person died at the event, but officials have not released any details about their death.