[Guardian] A man who ran into the flames at the Burning Man festival’s burning ceremony has died.Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said the man ran through a human-chain of security officers at about 10:30pm Saturday during the Man Burn event at the counter-culture festival in the Black Rock Desert, about 100 miles north of Reno.
The sheriff says the man was rescued by firefighters and later died at the UC Davis hospital burn center in California.
About 70,000 people are attending the nine-day art and music celebration, which culminates with the burning of a towering 40ft-effigy made of wood. Attendees have tried to run into the flames as a symbol of rebirth.
Festival organizers did not immediately respond when asked for comment.
| Update from The Local - Switzerland at 7:50 p.m. EDT: |
Aaron Joel Mitchell, 41, was attending the annual art and music festival in the Nevada desert known for its ritualistic burnings, including its signature event, the burning of a huge effigy meant to symbolize rebirth.
According to the Pershing County Sheriff, Mitchell broke through a security perimeter and ran into the blaze, reported international media.
Firefighters had difficulty extracting him from the flames because part of the effigy structure was falling, said the sheriff. He was eventually pulled out and airlifted to a burns centre, but later died from his injuries.
On Sunday the sheriff’s office identified Mitchell, saying he was a US citizen who lived with his wife in Switzerland.
Swiss press reported that he lived in the canton of Thurgau.