Burning Man: Guy Runs Into Flames of Burning Statue, Airlifted to Burn Center https://t.co/inKJGMNFkW pic.twitter.com/F1mlF6VKMp
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A 41-year-old man who broke through a safety perimeter at Burning Man Saturday night and ran into the flames of the burning Man has died from his injuries, as the Associated Press reports. The man burst through a human chain of safety personnel at around 10:30 p.m. as the 40-foot-tall effigy was burning, and he had to be rescued by Black Rock City firefighters. Soon after he was airlifted to the burn center at UC Davis hospital, where was pronounced dead at 6:28 a.m. Sunday.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that the man has been identified as Aaron Joel Mitchell, and they say he "was not under the influence of alcohol," but a toxicology screening is still pending.
As TMZ reports, "Photos of the incident were captured, and they're pretty graphic. You see what appears to be a long haired man running full force into the blaze ... and then tripping and falling with fire rescuers close behind." If you care to, you can see more photos at the TMZ link above.
The AP notes that "Attendees have tried to run into the flames [before] as a symbol of rebirth."
This year's Burning Man festival was attended by over 70,000 people, and as is traditional, Sunday night will be centered on the more solemn burning of the Temple.
