STEPHEN Nartey
BY Stephen Nartey, 9:40am September 05, 2023,

How Chris Rock made it out of Burning Man festival disaster by hitching ride in fan’s truck 

Comedian Chris Rock/Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Comedian Chris Rock, 58, and DJ Diplo, 44, found themselves stranded in the mud-filled Burning Man festival in the flooded Nevada desert. They embarked on a six-mile trek, seeking assistance to escape the festival’s treacherous conditions. Eventually, a kind fan in a pickup truck came to their rescue, as approximately 73,000 festival-goers were stuck at the event due to the adverse weather conditions.

Diplo, also known as Thomas Wesley Pentz, posted a video on his Instagram account featuring himself and Rock. They were seated in the back of the pickup truck along with five other individuals and bags of equipment.

Diplo mentioned in the video that a generous fan had offered them a ride out of the Burning Man festival. He explained that he had walked along the roadside for hours, hitchhiking, as he had a show scheduled in DC that evening and didn’t want to disappoint his fans, according to the New York Post.

Heavy rainfall had transformed the typically dry festival grounds, leading organizers to delay the event’s namesake ceremony and instructing thousands of attendees to seek shelter. Unfortunately, one person lost their life during the festival, with the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office attributing the death to the rain-related circumstances.

An anonymous fan’s truck became a crucial lifeline for Rock and Diplo who many doubted would make it out of Burning Man and didn’t believe they could walk six miles through the mud. Meanwhile, Rock shared a video on his Instagram story, depicting the flooded desert landscape resulting from monsoon thunderstorms that had swept through Nevada.

As of Sunday morning, the Black Rock Desert, the location of the Burning Man festival, is still under a Flood Watch, with additional rain expected. A storm on Friday night and Saturday brought 0.8 inches of rain to the normally hot and arid area, transforming it into a muddy and challenging terrain. Burning Man is an annual event that takes place in this desert, creating a temporary community focused on art, self-expression, and self-reliance, making it a hub for creativity and collaboration.

Last Edited by:Mildred Europa Taylor Updated: September 5, 2023

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