The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has released the causes of death for three men who died during this year’s Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, according to local outlet KOLO 8 News.
The festival ran from Aug. 30 through Sept. 7, and all three deaths occurred during that window.
A 62-year-old man from Santa Monica, California, collapsed suddenly and was pronounced dead at the festival’s Rampart Medical Center on Sept. 3. The medical examiner’s office determined his cause of death was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
A 51-year-old man from Truckee, California, died in an ambulance on Sept. 4 after experiencing chest pain. His death was attributed to methamphetamine and MDMA toxicity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, with chronic methamphetamine use listed as a contributing factor, KOLO 8 reported.
A 60-year-old man from Yuma, Arizona, was found dead in his vehicle at the festival. The medical examiner’s office found his death was caused by cocaine and methamphetamine toxicity, with cardiovascular disease as a contributing factor.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office for additional information.
Burning Man draws tens of thousands of participants each year to a temporary settlement called Black Rock City, built around principles of communal effort, self-reliance and self-expression. The gathering ends with the burning of a large wooden effigy known as “the Man.”
Earlier in September, Burning Man organizers issued a statement offering condolences to the victims’ families and said the deaths initially appeared to be from natural causes.
“The deaths of three Burning Man participants in 2026 all appear to be from natural causes, but we defer to the medical examiner for official determinations,” the organization said. “We encourage and ask that people focus on the contributions of the individuals lost and avoid speculation about the circumstances of their passing out of respect for the participants and their families.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Burning Man for additional comment.
