Comedian Chris Rock fled the flooded and muddy grounds at the Burning Man festival, walking six miles alongside DJ and songwriter Diplo until a fan stopped and gave them a lift in the bed of a pickup truck.
Diplo, whose given name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, shared a video documenting the roadside rescue on his Instagram account.
“I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz i have a show in dc tonight and didnt want to let yall down. Also shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment,” the DJ captioned his post.
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“A fan offered Chris Rock and I a ride out of Burning Man in the back of a pickup after walking six miles through the mud,” he added in the video. “All Chris could think about was a f***ing cold brew.”
Diplo and Rock were among many who tried to escape the flooded festival that has so far left at least one dead and thousands more stranded. Heavy rain and flash flooding in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, where the annual weeklong event is held, forced tens of thousands to shelter in place.
The conditions were so treacherous that local officials cut off access to the festival after the heavy rains on Friday night, and the gates were still closed as of Sunday morning.
“Due to recent rainfall, the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office officials have closed the entrance to Burning Man for the remainder of the event. Please avoid traveling to the area; you will be turned around. All event access is closed,” @WashoeSheriff announced the closure via X.
Due to recent rainfall, the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff's Office officials have closed the entrance to Burning Man for the remainder of the event. Please avoid traveling to the area; you will be turned around. All event access is closed. pic.twitter.com/BY8Rv7eFLD
— Washoe Sheriff (@WashoeSheriff) September 2, 2023
Once the rain had stopped, ankle-deep mud ensured that many remained stranded, at least temporarily, until conditions improved.