A third Burning Man attendee has died after being taken toward a hospital, authorities said, adding to a string of deaths tied to the Nevada desert event after two men died at the festival in a span of about 48 hours.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen told News Media in an email that his office was notified of another participant’s death while the person was being transported from the festival to a hospital in the Reno area.
Allen said he had no further details about what led to the death because it happened outside his jurisdiction. He directed inquiries to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office. News Media has contacted both agencies for comment.
Burning Man 2026 attendees sample the art at Black Rock City during a dust storm on Sept. 2, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Officials are still waiting for autopsy and toxicology findings in the cases of the two men who died earlier during Burning Man.
Allen said his office typically sees about one death each year at the festival.
The first death was reported Thursday at Rampart, the temporary hospital at Burning Man, according to a Pershing County Sheriff’s Office news release. Festival organizers described the man as in his mid-50s.
Deputies found Sampson Tshombe dead at the hospital after he was found on a street at the festival, the sheriff’s office said. Emergency personnel performed CPR for several minutes before a doctor pronounced him dead.
Burning Man 2026 attendees watch as the Man structure burns as part of the annual celebration at Black Rock City, Nevada, on Sep. 5, 2026 (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
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Investigators found no external signs of foul play. Tshombe was taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and toxicology screening because authorities did not have his medical history.
On Saturday, deputies were again called to Black Rock City, the temporary city built each year for Burning Man, after festival organizers said a 60-year-old man died.
Craigh Mann was found dead in a trailer he shared with his significant other at about 3:17 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators found no outward signs of foul play.
Mann was also taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and toxicology screening. The sheriff’s office said investigators did not have his medical history or other information that could explain his death.
The autopsy and toxicology results for both men are expected in six to eight weeks. The sheriff’s office said it would not release further information until it receives the results.
A Vantor satellite image shows the center of the Burning Man festival site in Black Rock City, Nev., on Aug. 31, 2026, with its distinctive circular layout and numerous temporary structures. (DigitalGlobe/Getty Images)
Burning Man organizers previously said their “thoughts and deepest condolences” were with Mann’s family, friends, campmates and others affected by his death.
“The safety and well-being of our community and staff remain our highest priority,” organizers said after the first death, adding that support resources were available around the clock in Black Rock City.
The annual Burning Man festival began Aug. 30 in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and concluded Monday. The gathering can draw as many as 80,000 people, known as “burners,” and is best known for the burning of a large wooden effigy.