A 5-year-old boy was killed when the hyperbaric chamber he was inside exploded at a medical facility in Troy, Michigan on Friday morning.
Police and fire officials in Troy said they received a call regarding the explosion shortly before 8 a.m. local time at a facility located at 165 Kirts Boulevard. When they arrived, they said they found the child inside the chamber deceased.
The child’s mom was also reportedly in the room and sustained some injuries to her arms.
“Our initial research shows that this is not a common incident, and the scene remains under active investigation,” said Troy Fire Lieutenant Keith Young.
Video: Troy officials hold press conference after explosion at medical facility
Officials say the chamber contains 100 percent oxygen, which is five times the amount of oxygen in a normal room, and can be “extremely combustible.”
The facility is The Oxford Center, which offers a variety of medical therapies, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
According to The Oxford Center website, the therapy is a "specialized form of medical treatment administered by delivering 100% pure oxygen to the body through increased atmospheric pressure greater than 1.3 ATA in an enclosed hard chamber."
The Oxford Center released a statement after the incident that reads in part, "This is an exceptionally difficult day for all of us. The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority. Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place."
The damage from the explosion, officials say, was contained to the room it was in.
“I've been with the department for 10 years and we’ve never responded to anything like this,” said Lt. Young.
"Horrible, tragic incident that we don't want to ever respond to," said Troy Police Lieutenant Ben Hancock.
Officials say the 5-year-old victim is from Royal Oak, Michigan.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Detroit.
