Thousands at Burning Man festival stranded as storms cause extreme flooding

Thousands of people attending this year’s annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada were forced to seek shelter after storms caused extreme flooding in the area.

Festival organizers told attendees to shelter in place, according to a statement from the organization.

“Conserve food, water, and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space,” the statement read.

The festival, which takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, typically challenges attendees with scorching heat and dust, but after overnight rains on Friday, close to an inch of precipitation created mud-bath-like conditions and dampened the festival’s proceedings.

Only emergency vehicles are allowed to pass through and the gate in and out of Black Rock City remain closed as of 9 am local time Saturday, according to a red banner on the website.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said the entrance to the event would be closed for the remainder of the event, which began on Aug. 27 and was scheduled to end on Monday, according to the Associated Press. Officials did not say when it would be opened again.

More rain is expected throughout the weekend.