This year’s Burning Man Festival, held in the desert of Black Rock City, Nevada, turned into chaos as 70,000 attendees became trapped due to torrential rain as rumors began swirling online of an alleged “virus outbreak.”
Now, festival organizers are declaring a “National Emergency” after the heavy rains turned the dusty desert site into a muddy mess.
However, according to X Community notes, the festival does not have the power to declare a national emergency:
“Burning Man has not declared a ‘national emergency.’ The Burning Man Project is 501(c)(3) non-profit, not a branch of the federal government, and as such, it does not have the authority to declare national emergencies,” the community notes said.
Burning Man attendees were instructed to shelter in place and conserve food and water as getting supplies became impossible due to the blocked entry and exit due to rain.
No travelers will be permitted to enter the festival, the organizers said
The pop-up airport known as Black Rock City Municipal Airport has also closed, with only emergency vehicles allowed access.
“Participants inbound for the event should turn around and head home,” the Bureau of Land Management said in a statement on Saturday.
With more rain expected over the weekend, attendees remain trapped until the end of the event.
However, some celebrities were rescued, including comedian Chris Rock and musical artist Diplo.
If the rain was enough of a problem to contend with, there are now rumors of a viral outbreak of an Ebola-like virus at the festival site.
Daily Fetched cannot confirm the legitimacy of the ‘virus’ rumors, except for reports of online.
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