BLACK ROCK CITY, Nevada — A third Burning Man festivalgoer has died during the closing days of the 2026 gathering in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, bringing the event’s death toll to three.
Pershing County Sheriff and Coroner Jerry Allen confirmed that the latest attendee died while being transported from the remote festival site to a hospital in Reno, approximately 120 miles away.
The person’s identity, age and cause of death have not been publicly released. Authorities have also not disclosed when the medical emergency began or what treatment was provided before the hospital transfer.
Three attendees died during Burning Man 2026. The third person died while being transported to a Reno hospital. Autopsy and toxicology findings remain pending, and officials have not announced evidence of foul play.
Three deaths reported during Burning Man 2026
The latest fatality followed the deaths of two men at Black Rock City earlier in the festival.
Sampson Tshombe, a man in his mid-50s, reportedly suffered a medical emergency on September 3. Emergency personnel performed lifesaving measures before transporting him to the festival’s onsite medical center, where he was pronounced dead.
On September 5, 60-year-old Craigh Mann was found dead by campmates at his camp at approximately 3 p.m. His cause of death has not been determined publicly.
Swikblog previously reported on Craigh Mann’s death at his Burning Man campsite as authorities began investigating the second fatality.
The Burning Man Project confirmed the first two deaths in an official statement and offered condolences to the participants’ relatives, friends and campmates.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant’s family, friends, campmates, and all those affected by this loss,” organizers said following Mann’s death.
The organization said peer support and crisis-response resources were available to attendees throughout Black Rock City.
Causes of death remain under investigation
Autopsies and toxicology tests are expected to determine how the three attendees died. Results could take several weeks, and investigators have not indicated that the deaths were connected.
Sheriff Allen said Burning Man typically records approximately one death per year, making three fatalities during a single gathering unusually high. Officials have so far reported no apparent indication of foul play in the 2026 cases.
The deaths occurred during a difficult week at the temporary desert city, where rain, mud, strong winds and dust affected travel and temporarily disrupted access to the festival. However, authorities have not linked the weather conditions to any of the fatalities.
A separate attendee was seriously injured earlier in the week after falling from a roughly 55-foot structure and was transported for emergency treatment.
Burning Man’s 40th-anniversary gathering ran from August 30 through September 7, drawing tens of thousands of participants to the Black Rock Desert. The temporary city officially closed Monday evening as attendees continued their long departure from the playa.
The 2026 deaths come one year after festivalgoer Vadim Kruglov was found dead during Burning Man 2025. His death was investigated as a homicide.
Authorities are expected to release further information about the third attendee after the person’s family has been notified and preliminary medical findings become available.
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