The man who leaped into the eponymous blazing effigy at the Burning Man festival on Saturday night has died, authorities in Nevada confirmed.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said that the man ran through fences and a human chain of security guards to throw himself into the fiery structure about 10.30pm.
Emergency services bravely tried to rescue the man after he ran into the Burning Man during Nevada’s famous arts and music festival and he was airlifted to a local hospital’s burns unit where he passed away.
Approximately 70,000 people from all over the world have gathered for the annual Burning Man festival, which is taking place in the Black Rock Desert.
A Burning Man participant died after evading the attempted tackles of multiple rangers and law enforcement personnel to run into the flames of the ‘Man Burn’ on Saturday night
But crowds were horrified when the reveler made a beeline for the giant wooden effigy and was engulfed by the flames.
He had to dodge a number of rangers and law enforcement personnel in order to reach the fire, which stretches approximately 50 feet into the air.
Festival organizers earlier issued a statement through its website to say that at ‘approximately 10.30pm Saturday evening, a male participant at the annual Burning Man event in Northern Nevada broke through a safety perimeter and into into a fire. Black Rock City fire personnel rescued him from the fire.’
The identity of the man who died from his wounds after running into the flames on Saturday night has not been released by officials
The man who ran into the flames was quickly engulfed as emergency services nobly tried to battle their way through in an attempt to rescue him
Above a firefighter watches as the Burning Man participant (L) falls into the flames of the ‘Man Burn’ at the festival on Saturday night
Firefighters were forced to abandon their attempted rescue of a Burning Man participant (body seen at lower left rear) who ran into the flames due to dangerous situation
He had to dodge a number of rangers and law enforcement personnel in order to reach the fire, which stretches approximately 50 feet into the air
Emergency personnel tried to treat the man on the scene and then rushed him to a nearby hospital’s burns unit where he later passed away
The Man is engulfed in flames as approximately 70,000 people from all over the world gathered for the annual arts and music festival to watch the wooden effigy burn
The Burning Man (pictured before it was set on fire) stretched up to 50ft into the air at the festival this year
Lights shining across the temporary city as thousands of participants gather to watch the Man burn
‘The individual was treated on scene, transported to the on-site medical facility and airlifted to a burn center’.
Officials issued an update late on Sunday to confirm that he had later passed away.
During the fiery destruction of the 50-foot-tall man, thousands of participants danced and partied at the annual event, which is held two hours north of Reno on an ancient dry lake bed.
Saturday marked the height of the art and music festival celebration, where Burners had gathered to witness the lighting of the symbolic ritual burning of the huge wooden effigy.
Prior to the burn, The Man towered over the temporary city for a week. The event on Saturday night is traditionally rowdy while the event Sunday night is the subdued burning of the Temple.
The annual event is held in the Nevada desert, where 70,000 people help built and maintain a temporary city, complete with its own airport
The Temple is another wooden structure that has been stuffed with notes, memories and remembrances from festival goers throughout the week. It will also be burned Sunday evening.
This year’s festival theme is Radical Ritual, with organizers inviting participants to celebrate ‘the ambiguous ground that lies between reverence and ridicule, faith and belief, the absurd and the stunningly sublime,’ according to the official Burning Man website.
Dozens of art installations were constructed before the end of the weekend, some made from wire, others as patterns on the ground and some as immersive experiences.
Stunning photographs show the larger-than-life art installations that are the focal points of this year’s festival theme of Radical Ritual, which is to honor rituals that humankind has made, including the festival.
Participants surround a burning art installation as approximately as they enjoy festivities at the Burning Man festival in Nevada