Authorities have confirmed that a third individual attending the Burning Man festival has passed away, following the recent announcement of two other deaths during the annual event in the Nevada desert. The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office disclosed that Armando Ramirez from Truckee, California, died while being transported to a hospital in Reno, Nevada, approximately 190 kilometers south of the festival. The 51-year-old was declared deceased in the ambulance in the early hours of Friday. The examiner’s office mentioned that the cause and manner of death are awaiting additional testing results and assured that foul play is not suspected.
The festival, known for its focus on art installations and self-expression, reported two other fatalities last week, which were confirmed by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. Craigh Mann, 60, was discovered dead on Saturday around 3 p.m. local time. The festival stated in a release that he was found in a trailer that he shared with his partner. Another festival-goer, a man in his mid-50s identified as Sampson Tshombe, had a medical emergency and was pronounced dead after receiving emergency treatment at the festival’s temporary hospital on Thursday.
Authorities indicated that foul play was not evident in the deaths of Mann and Tshombe; however, both individuals will undergo autopsy and toxicology screenings, with results expected in six to eight weeks. This year marks the festival’s 40th anniversary, commencing on August 30 and concluding on Monday. Each year, tens of thousands of participants gather in the desert to camp and engage in unconventional performances, culminating in the burning of a large wooden sculpture resembling a man.
Sadly, the festival has a history of fatalities. Since its relocation from Baker Beach in San Francisco to the Black Rock desert in 1990, more than seven deaths have been reported. Pershing County Sheriff and Coroner Jerry Allen mentioned in a statement that, according to NBC News, the festival averages one death annually.