Arizona man is killed while inside a hyperbaric chamber that caught fire

A hyperbaric chamber caught fire in Arizona, leading to the gruesome death of a 43-year-old man inside the highly pressurized, oxygen-filled compartment, authorities said Thursday.

Police officers and firefighters in the resort community of Lake Havasu City rushed to the 1800 block of Mesquite Avenue at about 10:50 p.m. MST on Wednesday answering calls for a “reported medical emergency for a burn patient,” city officials said.

“The 911 caller’s information added that the patient was inside a hyperbaric chamber when the burns occurred,” according to a city statement.

“The first arriving crews identified smoke throughout the building and an intact hyperbaric chamber that appeared to have had a flash fire in the chamber with one patient inside. The patient was pronounced deceased upon arrival of emergency crew.”

The dead man was identified as 43-year-old Lake Havasu City resident Walter Foxcroft.

“The cause of the flash fire and the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,” the city said.

A hyperbaric chamber can be used in any number of treatments, as it pumps highly concentrated oxygen into a patient’s body.