Drug problem surfaces at Burning Man festival

Martin Griffith

Sunday, Sept. 5, 1999 | 11:30 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - More than 20,000 free spirits converged on the northern Nevada high desert Saturday for the climax of a festival billed as the ultimate celebration of free expression.

The 14th annual Burning Man event was scheduled to end late Saturday 120 miles north of Reno as it always does: with the torching of a 50-foot-high wooden effigy of a man.

Washoe County sheriff's Lt. Will McHardy said only five arrests had been made at the week-long event on the Black Rock Desert as of Saturday evening. Three were drug-related.

"Overall, the event has gone very well and we've had few incidents considering the large crowd," he said. "It's the largest crowd in the event's history."

The celebration, also billed as North America's largest outdoor arts festival, drew about 23,500 people Saturday, up from 15,000 on the final day last year, deputies estimated.

McHardy said the only major problem has been the 80 to 90 people a day who have required medical treatment after taking certain drugs at the event.

Participants taking "acid" and Ecstasy have reported heart problems and breathing difficulties, he said. Often called the rave or sex drug, Ecstasy combines the effects of hallucinogens and stimulants.

"We've definitely had a drug problem," McHardy said. "People are getting sick and we've had to take some participants to Reno hospitals."

A man was seriously injured Friday when he jumped from scaffolding at the event, while another man was killed in a traffic accident just south of the Black Rock Desert while en route to the event, deputies said.

The other two arrests at the event were for trespassing and unlawful possession of a weapon.

After the torching of the wooden man draped in fireworks and neon, artists toss their paintings, sculptures and other creations onto the bonfire to reinforce the celebration of art for art's sake.

The tent settlements and theme villages that make up "Black Rock City" stretch about three miles from end to end.

With the large crowd, the temporary city becomes one of Nevada's five largest cities for the week.