Authorities have confirmed that a third individual attending the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert has passed away. The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office reported on Tuesday that Armando Ramirez from Truckee, California, died while en route to a hospital in Reno, located approximately 190 kilometers south of the festival. The 51-year-old was declared deceased in the ambulance early on Friday. The cause and manner of death are pending further testing, with no suspicions of foul play.
The festival, known for its focus on art installations and self-expression, also experienced two other deaths recently. Craigh Mann, 60, was discovered deceased on Saturday around 3 p.m. local time. Another attendee, identified as Sampson Tshombe, in his mid-50s, passed away at the festival’s temporary hospital after a medical emergency.
Authorities indicated no foul play in the deaths of Mann and Tshombe, with autopsies and toxicology screenings scheduled to determine the causes. The festival, marking its 40th anniversary this year, kicked off on August 30 and concluded on Monday, attracting thousands of participants for a week of avant-garde performances and the burning of a large wooden sculpture resembling a man.
Despite the festival’s celebratory atmosphere, it has a history of fatal incidents. Over the years, more than half a dozen deaths have been reported since the event relocated to the Black Rock desert in 1990. Pershing County sheriff and coroner, Jerry Allen, mentioned that the festival typically records one fatality annually.
