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A third Burning Man festivalgoer has died after being transported to a hospital, authorities said, marking the latest death connected to the Nevada desert gathering after two men died at the festival within roughly 48 hours.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen told Digital in an email that his office had received information about a third participant who died while being transported from the festival to a Reno-area hospital.
Allen said he did not have additional information about the circumstances of the death, because it occurred outside his jurisdiction. He referred questions to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office. Digital has reached out to both for comment.
TWO MEN DIE WITHIN 24 HOURS AT BURNING MAN AS TENS OF THOUSANDS GATHER IN THE NEVADA DESERT
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)
Authorities are also awaiting autopsy and toxicology results for the two men who died at Burning Man earlier in the festival.
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)
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.
BURNING MAN MURDER MYSTERY DEEPENS AS NEW DETAILS EMERGE 1 YEAR AFTER DESERT FESTIVAL KILLING
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.
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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.
