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Burning Man has turned deadly for two attendees.
The annual festival shared that two people died at the desert arts event in Black Rock City, Nev., over Labor Day weekend.
Craigh Mann, 60, "was found deceased by campmates in his camp" at 3 p.m. on Sept. 5, according to organizers, who said in a statement, "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant’s family, friends, campmates, and all those affected by this loss."
Just one day prior, an unidentified attendee died after being transported to a medical cite for treatment.
"It is with heavy hearts," organizers said Sept. 4, "that Burning Man Project confirms a Black Rock City participant in his mid-50s experienced a medical emergency, immediately received lifesaving measures, and was transported to the onsite center for emergency care where he was pronounced deceased."
Their causes of death have not been shared.
In light of the deaths, the festival said they have Black Rock Rangers available to provide peer support as well as Black Rock City’s Emergency Services Department’s Crisis Support team for aid.
"The safety and well-being of our community and staff remain our highest priority," the statement added. "If you’re in Black Rock City and need support, resources are available 24 hours a day."
During the 2026 gathering, temperatures have ranged from highs in the 80s to lows in the 50s at night. The festival, originally founded in 1986, faced concerns of wildfire smoke and thunderstorms this year, though The Weather Channel reported that no wildfires directly threatened Burning Man 2026.
JULIE JAMMOT/AFP via Getty Images
The Burning Man Project is a nonprofit that "supports a global arts and cultural movement," per its website. The group abides by 10 principles, written by co-founder Larry Harvey in 2004: Radical Inclusion, Decommodification, Gifting, Radical Self-reliance, Communal Effort, Radical Self-expression, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation and Immediacy.
"Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture," the organization states. "We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience."
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