Burning Man Wildfire Blocks Road, Threatens Annual Festival

(Screengrab of Twitter post/@burningnan)

By    |   Friday, 01 September 2017 05:50 AM EDT ET

Burning Man festival caravans were being slowed by a wildfire blocking the main road to the annual event’s site in Nevada, and authorities warned the fire could advance toward the event site.

The growing wildfire burned through 30,000 acres, forcing authorities to shut down Highway 447 between the Nixon and Empire communities in Nevada, authorities told ABC News on Thursday. The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center said, road was closed until further notice.

Burning Man, which started Sunday, is a nine-day arts and music festival held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. The event attracts thousands every year. Authorities said safety concerns were high because of the fire, which has already caused damage to local high-voltage electrical transmission lines.

The Reno Gazette-Journal said the Tohakum 2 Fire started Tuesday northwest of Pyramid Lake in the mountains west of Highway 447. The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center reported that the wildfire had already burned 7,000 acres Wednesday evening.

Authorities said the fire as zero percent contained as of Wednesday and warned on the Incident Information System website that the fire has the potential to "to progress toward the Burning Man event area" and that structures are being threatened.

Some who were heading toward the festival on Thursday expressed their disappointment on social media that they couldn’t get to Burning Man.

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TheWire
Burning Man festival caravans were being slowed by a wildfire blocking the main road to the annual event’s site in Nevada, and authorities warned the fire could advance toward the event site.
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Friday, 01 September 2017 05:50 AM
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