Third death reported at Burning Man 2026

Three deaths in five days at an event that averages one a year.

A third person has died at Burning Man 2026, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday, September 7th.

The third individual died while being transported to a hospital in Reno, roughly 120 miles south of Black Rock City. No other information has been released. Sheriff and coroner Jerry Allen said the death occurred in Washoe County jurisdiction.

What came before

The first death was reported on Thursday, September 3rd. At about 6:30 PM, dispatch was notified of a possible death at Rampart, the temporary hospital on the playa. Deputies responded immediately and found Sampson Tshombe, a man in his mid-50s, dead inside. Investigators determined Tshombe had been found on a street within the festival, where emergency personnel performed CPR for several minutes until a certified doctor pronounced him dead. The festival said he “immediately received lifesaving measures” before being taken to the on-site emergency center.

Two days later, on Saturday, September 5th, at about 3:20 PM, deputies responded to another reported death inside Black Rock City. Craig Mann, 60, had been found dead by his camp mates and significant other in the trailer they shared. In both cases, authorities said there did not appear to be outward signs of foul play. With no medical history available for either man, both were taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and toxicology screening. Results are expected in six to eight weeks, and the sheriff’s office said no further information will be released until then.

The festival’s response

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant’s family, friends, camp mates, and all those affected by this loss,” Burning Man said in a statement after Mann’s death.

Burning Man 2026 drew roughly 70,000 people to the Nevada desert and ran August 30th through September 7th. The investigations remain ongoing, and no causes of death have been officially determined.

Image courtesy of Debra Reid and news3lv.com | Burning Man 2026

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Saracha

Heralding from sunny South Florida, I am a proud Florida Woman. In my free time, I surf the swamp, wrangle gators, open fan mail, and tend to my pets. In the wild, I’m most often spotted at immersive art spaces, step tappin’ in a shadowed corner of the club, hater blockerz on, totally incognito as your resident EDM spice girl. Although I generally tout my spicy side, if there’s one thing I’d love to impress upon the world, it would be this: it’s not a waste to give love to those who do not deserve it – it’s a gift. The world would be a better place if we gave, in kindness and in mercy, to those who need it most with no expectation in return.

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