There was a fatality at the Element 11 Regional Burn in Utah last night. The following is an account of an eyewitness. As you can imagine, this event has had a kind of shattering effect upon all those that witnessed it. Please, refrain from speculation on facebook with regard to the person who did this as theyve left close friends, campmates, rangers and ESD folks grasping for the whys of the thing and your wild ass guesses can be harmful to those folks. [QUOTE BEGINS] I am still reeling from what I witnessed last night. Im sure everyone there felt the same way. We were at Utahs regional Burning Man event. The apex of such events is the burn of a very large fire. I remember my first time, 8 years ago at the same event, seeing the burn. Id never seen a controlled flame like that. There was such power and majesty in it. Its effects on everyone were undeniable. There is something primal and unifying about a fire so large. Everyone is drawn to the heat and the light and their barriers come down. We feel instinctual, we feel human, we feel safe, we feel equal, we feel catharsis, and we feel joy. We are completely present in the moment and simultaneously understand the ephemeral nature of our lives. People drum, dance, hug, some even get naked and dance near the flames and feel the fire singe their skin. This years effigy was beautiful. The inner frame was made of 2x4s and the outer layers were made from branches. There was a perimeter clearly marked and everyone sat outside the perimeter. The firefighters stood at the ready while the effigy became a very tall, very beautiful fire. We all celebrated. And then someone ran toward the flame. Danced toward the flame was more accurate. We watched him get close, far too close. Halfway between the perimeter line and the fire. There are usually hippies that do something like this. They get closer than the rest of us and walk out with sunburns. He paused a bit and just danced in place, swinging his arms like a windmill and kicking his feet behind him. The firefighters moved in (Im imagining they just wanted to be able to pull him out of there in case he collapsed from the heat.) And then the man just danced further toward the fire. Firefighters started to follow but before they could get to him, the man danced up to the edge and then just calmly jumped in. Just laid down in the fire and then disappeared into the flames. The firefighters tried to move in but the blaze was too big. They doused out the fire as we all watched in horror. Since then, I cant get the image out of my mind of this man just spinning his arms and kicking his feet and jogging into the fire. He didnt shield his face. He didnt hunker down like he was preparing for pain. He didnt run fast. He calmly and deliberately danced and laid down in the fire. I never saw him struggle. There were 1,200 people at the event and every single one of them was watching as this happened. I dont think this has ever happened in the history of burning man. (Ive been looking.) My mind wont stop going in circles. Why did he do it? Who was he? What was he thinking? I cant imagine any of these answers and I dont think Ill ever have them. My immediate desire was to go home to my children and hold them safe. I feel tremendous emotion that I cant identify. Confusion, sadness, fear. I mostly just dont understand why. My love to all those affected by this tragedy. [QUOTE ENDS]
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 02:47:03 +0000
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