A tragic accident occurred at the Oxford Medical Center in Troy, Michigan, where a 5-year-old boy died after a hyperbaric oxygen chamber exploded. The explosion happened around 8 a.m. on January 31, 2025.
The child, from Royal Oak, Michigan, had been inside the machine and was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The mother of the child suffered some injuries to her arms as she was standing right next to the chamber as the explosion occurred,” Troy police Lt. Ben Hancock said. “We don’t know exactly what the child was being treated for at the center today.”
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, and the facility has stated that nothing like this has happened in their 15 years of providing this type of therapy.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves providing pure oxygen in an enclosed space with higher-than-normal air pressure. This therapy can be used to treat various medical conditions, such as decompression sickness, serious tissue disease, carbon monoxide poisoning, and tissue damage from radiation therapy.
“The presence of such a high amount of oxygen in a pressurized environment can make it extremely combustible,” Troy Fire Lt. Keith Young said. “We did some initial investigation. This is very uncommon, so we’re not sure what led up to it.”
The explosion was contained to the chamber, and firefighters quickly extinguished the resulting fire. The investigation into the explosion and fire will be turned over to state authorities.
