(Photo: HavasuNews.com)
Just before 11 am yesterday morning (July 10th, 2025), emergency crews responded to a 911 call about a fatal hyperbaric chamber fire at a facility in Havasu City, AZ. There is very little information available at this time, other than the fact that 43-year-old Walter Foxcroft, a physical therapist and the clinic’s owner, was inside the chamber and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials. Details about the incident have not been released. The clinic had been open since June of 2024. The cause of this fatal hyperbaric chamber fire is not known. More information as it becomes available.
If you are affiliated with a hyperbaric chamber program, please join the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. That’s where you can obtain all the information you need about safety, training, and medical practice standards in the field of hyperbaric medicine. You can find out about training programs on the UHMS website. It’s important for everyone to know that there are national standards for hyperbaric chamber equipment and clinical operations. The UHMS Accreditation Manual provides detailed information on those standards. You can download the manual for free!
If your facility is not accredited, start the facility accreditation process through the UHMS.
If you are a patient, know that Hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments are safe and effective when safety standards are followed. You can find the list of accredited facilities here. Patients can also use this blog article to see if the specific chamber in use at any facility is FDA cleared. Patients can also help by participating fully in hyperbaric safety requirements – even though they may seem annoying – because they are designed for your safety. The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) guidelines, specifically NFPA 99: Health Care Facilities Code, govern safety in hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) environments. NFPA standards mandate that no unapproved electronic devices are allowed inside a hyperbaric chamber, even those that are compressed with AIR. If you are a patient, do not undergo treatment at a facility which allows you to take your cell phone, smart watch, laptop, or any other electronic device inside the chamber unless the device has been specifically designed, tested, and certified as safe for hyperbaric use. These standards are designed to prevent fatal hyperbaric chamber fire and explosion risks in oxygen-enriched, pressurized environments—where even a small spark from an electronic device can be catastrophic.
Resources
Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos
The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.
