A second attendee has died at this year’s Burning Man festival in Nevada, organizers said Saturday, marking the second reported death at the annual arts and culture gathering.
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Burning Man Project identified the attendee as Craigh Mann, 60. Campmates found Mann dead in his camp at Black Rock City at about 3 p.m. Saturday, September 5, according to the organization. Officials have not disclosed a cause of death.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office had not immediately provided additional information when NBC News published its report. Organizers also did not release further details about the circumstances surrounding Mann’s death.
Mann’s death followed another fatality earlier in the festival. On September 3, a male participant in his mid-50s experienced a medical emergency at Black Rock City, according to the Burning Man Project. Emergency personnel immediately provided lifesaving measures and transported him to the event’s onsite emergency center, where medical staff pronounced him dead.
A Total Of Three Deaths Have Been Confirmed
Although two men have been found dead on the premises of the festival, a third died while in transit to a hospital.
Jerry Allen, Pershing County sheriff and coroner, said, “Although we average 1 death a year at the Festival, we have had two so far this year within the confines of the Festival and I have received information regarding a third who died in transit to a hospital in Reno.”
The deaths occurred during the festival’s 40th anniversary year. Organizers opened the 2026 event on August 30 in the Black Rock Desert, where the temporary Black Rock City hosts tens of thousands of participants each year. NBC News reported that the event draws about 70,000 people.
The festival has faced difficult conditions during this year’s gathering. Rain affected travel and temporarily disrupted access to the site, while organizers continued to provide emergency services for participants.
Burning Man Project emphasized the safety and well-being of its community and staff after the first death. Following Mann’s death, the organization again expressed sympathy for those affected.