Chris Rock and Diplo make it out of Burning Man festival by hitching ride in fan's truck

The DJ said they walked several miles and were able to get to a nearby airport.

KABC logo
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Chris Rock, Diplo make it out of Burning Man after being saved by fan
Diplo posted a series of videos in which he said a fan offered him and Chris Rock a ride out of the site. The DJ said they walked several miles and were able to get to a nearby airport.

As thousands of people remain trapped at the Burning Man festival after heavy rains inundated the area and created thick, ankle-deep mud, some celebrities were in need of help, too.

Among those attending the festival was DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock.

Rock posted a video on Instagram of thick mud and Diplo posted a series of videos in which he said a fan offered him and Rock a ride out of the site. The DJ said they walked several miles and were able to get to a nearby airport.

"Just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Attendees were told to shelter in place in the Black Rock Desert and conserve food, water and fuel after a rainstorm swamped the area, forcing officials to halt any entering or leaving of the festival. The remote area in northwest Nevada was hit with 2 to 3 months' worth of rain - up to 0.8 inches - in just 24 hours between Friday and Saturday morning.

The heavy rainfall fell on dry desert grounds, whipping up thick, clay-like mud festivalgoers said was too difficult to walk or bike through. On Sunday, authorities said at least one death is being investigated.

Meanwhile, attendees who typically dedicate their time to making art and building community are now also focused on rationing supplies and dealing with connectivity issues.

"There is super limited bandwidth and a lot of people at the camp (are) trying to cancel flights and arrange for extended time here" due to the weather, Burhorn told CNN via text message from a Wi-Fi camp.

Still, the poor conditions have not stopped the creativity, said Burhorn, who had traveled from San Francisco.

"People are building mud sculptures," she said.

Andrew Hyde, another attendee stuck at the Burning Man, said despite the muddy conditions making it difficult to walk, the weather has taken the meaning of the event back to its roots.

"You come out here to be in a harsh climate, and you prepare for that," Hyde told CNN's Paula Newton. "So in many ways, everybody here just kind of made friends with their neighbors and it's a community event."

Morale at the event is OK and there's generally no panic among the attendees, Hyde said, describing music returning overnight. There are worries about the additional rain causing delays, however, and the unknowns of worsening conditions.

"I think the concern is if we have another rain," he said. "People need to go back to their jobs, back to the responsibilities they have back home."

More coverage:

CNN's Nouran Salahieh and Emma Tucker contributed to this report.