Craigh Mann, 60, was found dead in his camp Saturday, days after another participant died following a medical emergency.
BLACK ROCK CITY, NV — Authorities are investigating the death of a 60-year-old Burning Man participant who was found dead in his camp Saturday, marking the second reported death during this year’s gathering in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
Burning Man Project identified the participant as Craigh Mann and said his campmates found him at about 3 p.m. Sept. 5. Organizers did not disclose a cause of death or circumstances leading up to his death. The investigation comes as the annual event approaches its conclusion after drawing tens of thousands of people to the temporary desert community.
Burning Man Project announced Mann’s death in an update to a statement first issued after another participant died earlier in the week. The organization said its thoughts were with Mann’s family, friends, campmates and others affected by the death. Pershing County authorities are responsible for investigating deaths that occur at the event, while the cause and manner of death can require examination by medical authorities.
The earlier death involved a man in his mid-50s who experienced a medical emergency Thursday. Burning Man Project said the participant immediately received lifesaving measures before being transported to the event’s onsite emergency care center, where he was pronounced dead. His name had not been publicly released pending notification of his family.
Pershing County Sheriff-Coroner Jerry Allen told the Reno Gazette Journal after the first death that foul play was not suspected at that stage of the investigation. He said the final determination would depend on an autopsy. Officials had not publicly announced a cause of death for that participant as of Sunday. No cause had been released for Mann either.
The two deaths occurred during the 2026 Burning Man event, which began Aug. 30 and is scheduled to end Sept. 7. Burning Man transforms a section of the Black Rock Desert into Black Rock City, a temporary community centered on large-scale art, performances and participant-created camps. About 70,000 people attend the gathering in a typical year, according to news reports covering the event.
The deaths also come one year after a separate case that remains under investigation. Vadim Kruglov, 37, was found dead during the 2025 Burning Man event, and authorities classified his death as a homicide. No arrest has been publicly announced in that case. The circumstances of the 2026 deaths have not been linked to Kruglov’s killing, and authorities have not announced evidence connecting the incidents.
This year’s event has also faced periods of difficult weather. Rain turned portions of the desert surface to mud and temporarily affected travel in and out of Black Rock City. Such conditions can complicate movement across the playa, although officials have not publicly connected the weather to either of the two deaths.
Burning Man Project said peer-support and crisis-support services remained available around the clock inside Black Rock City for participants affected by the deaths. Organizers said the safety and well-being of participants and staff remained a priority as the gathering moved through its final days.
The causes of both deaths remained undetermined publicly as the event neared its scheduled conclusion Monday. Authorities have not released findings explaining Mann’s death, and further information is expected to depend on the results of the official investigation and medical examination.
Author note: Last updated September 7, 2026.