Video of a Car Trapped in a River of Trash Is Unrelated to the Burning Man Festival
The Claim
A video shows shows attendees attempting to escape from the festival site but getting trapped by a river of trash.
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Emerging story
Amidst the recent news regarding the Burning Man festival, a video widely circulated on social media supposedly shows attendees attempting to escape from the festival site but getting trapped by a river of trash.
An X user published the video along with the caption, "New video just released of people trying to flee Burning Man caught in a river of trash. This is how Ebola spreads!"
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.
Following an extensive reverse image search, Misbar's team found the circulating video to be outdated and unrelated to the 2023 Burning Man festival.
The Video Is Old and Predates the 2023 Burning Man
In contrast to the viral claim, the video in question has no connection to the recent festival. The original footage was shot in Haiti in 2018.
A YouTube channel uploaded the video on November 22, 2018, with the title "Streets transformed into trash-filled rivers in Haiti." According to the video's description, during that period, Haiti experienced a period of intense rainfall, resulting in certain coastal cities' streets being inundated with garbage, resembling actual rivers of waste.
Another YouTube channel uploaded the same video at the time with the title "First Flush: Haiti Garbage Flood."
Furthermore, an X user also shared the same video, stating that it shows a river of trash and plastic waste flooding the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on November 14, 2018.
The Burning Man Festival History
During the summer of 1986, Larry Harvey and his friend Jerry James fashioned a makeshift wooden figure standing at a height of eight feet. They transported this creation to Baker Beach in San Francisco and ignited it, drawing the attention of a curious crowd. This gathering of spectators formed a semi-circle around the burning figure. This event marked the inception of the now-annual Burning Man tradition.
The annual assembly draws in nearly 80,000 artists, musicians, and activists. It blends elements of wilderness camping with avant-garde performances. Disruptions have become a notable part of the event's recent history. In 2018, dust storms compelled organizers to temporarily shut down festival entrances, and the event was canceled twice in response to the pandemic.
Burning Man Attendees Depart from the Festival
Burning Man festival attendees continued their departure from the campsite located in the northern Nevada desert. This followed a period during which muddy roads stranded tens of thousands of people for several days, with the roads finally drying up enough to allow travel.
Festival organizers began allowing traffic to exit via the main road around 2 p.m. local time (2200 BST) on Monday. However, they continued to encourage revelers to delay their departure until Tuesday to alleviate traffic congestion. As of Monday afternoon, it was reported that approximately 64,000 individuals were still present at the festival site.
Organizers also requested that attendees refrain from walking out of the Black Rock Desert, as some had done over the weekend.
At least one fatality was reported. Officials have recently revealed the suspected cause of death for the individual who passed away at Burning Man. This unfortunate incident occurred as the Nevada festival faced tumultuous conditions marked by heavy rainfall, flooding, and the resulting muddy terrain.
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