Swiss resident dies after running into bonfire at Burning Man festival
The Local - [email protected]
Published: 4 Sep, 2017 CET.
Updated: Mon 4 Sep 2017 09:41 CET
A man who died after running into a flaming pyre at the Burning Man festival in Nevada on Saturday was a Swiss resident, the sheriff’s office said.
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.
A man attending the Burning Man festival became an actual burning man after he ran into a massive bonfire https://t.co/tEUHgnEh8c pic.twitter.com/Y19NeoR6v2
— New York Post (@nypost) September 3, 2017
In a statement, festival organizers said several subsequent burning events were cancelled on Sunday, but the so-called ‘temple burn’ on Sunday night went ahead.
Emotional support teams were made available to those who witnessed the incident.
Each year some 70,000 people attend the festival, which ends on Monday.
Our community is grieving after an incident during last night’s Burn. Here is our response. https://t.co/kbmd709CLF
— Burning Man (@burningman) September 3, 2017
Comments
See Also
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.
A man attending the Burning Man festival became an actual burning man after he ran into a massive bonfire https://t.co/tEUHgnEh8c pic.twitter.com/Y19NeoR6v2
— New York Post (@nypost) September 3, 2017
In a statement, festival organizers said several subsequent burning events were cancelled on Sunday, but the so-called ‘temple burn’ on Sunday night went ahead.
Emotional support teams were made available to those who witnessed the incident.
Each year some 70,000 people attend the festival, which ends on Monday.
Our community is grieving after an incident during last night’s Burn. Here is our response. https://t.co/kbmd709CLF
— Burning Man (@burningman) September 3, 2017
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.