Sights and sounds as Burning Man 2026 transforms Nevada desert
Thousands arrived for the annual Burning Man festival, in which participants create Black Rock City from scratch in the desert north of Reno.
Three people have died during this year’s Burning Man event in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, according to local authorities and reports.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Sept. 7 that a third person died while being transported to a hospital in Reno, Nevada, television stations KRNV and KSNV reported. Authorities did not release the person’s identity or additional details.
USA TODAY reached out to the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office for more information and comment.
The latest death was reported as authorities investigate the deaths of two other Burning Man participants. Authorities said foul play is not suspected in either case.
The two people were identified as Craigh Mann, 60, and Sampson Tshombe, according to KRNV, KSNV and the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen told the Reno Gazette Journal that campmates discovered Mann at around 3 p.m. local time Sept. 5. An autopsy will be conducted by the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause and manner of death.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant’s family, friends, campmates and all those affected by this loss,” Burning Man said in a statement on Sept. 5.
Tshombe, who was initially identified as a man in his mid-50s, died after suffering a medical emergency during the event, authorities said. He was found unresponsive at about 6:30 p.m. local time Sept. 3 and was transported to the on-site center for emergency care, where he was pronounced dead.
Burning Man, a weeklong event focused on radical self-expression, participation, communal effort and civic responsibility, was expected to draw about 70,000 people this year. Attendees are responsible for managing their own food, water, and shelter.
The annual event culminated with the traditional burning of the Man, a giant wooden effigy, on the night of Sept. 5. The festival officially ends on Sept. 7.
Recent deaths at Burning Man
The latest death marks at least the sixth fatality connected to the event over the past four years, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. At least 10 people have died at Burning Man since the event moved from San Francisco to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert in 1990.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the 2025 killing of Vadim Kruglov, a 37-year-old Russian national living in Washington state who was found fatally stabbed during the festival. The case remains unsolved, and no arrests have been announced.
In 2024, Kendra Frazer, 39, died on the first day of the event after suffering an asthma attack in her sleep, according to authorities.
In 2023, authorities said Leon Reece, 32, was found unresponsive at the festival. At the time, the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office said suspected drug intoxication was the cause of death.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY