TROY (WWJ) -- A child has been killed in an explosion Friday morning, at a medical facility in Troy.
Authorities said the 5-year-old boy was inside a hyperbaric chamber at the The Oxford Center on Kirts Boulevard, near Livernois, when it exploded at around 8 a.m.
Emergency crews responded and the child, a Royal Oak resident, was pronounced dead on the scene.
The child's mother, who was standing next to the chamber, was also injured, according to police.
Officials said the explosion was contained to the inside of the chamber, and the fire was quickly put out.
It's unclear what caused the explosion. The Troy Police Department said it, along with the Troy Fire Department, is investigating how this tragedy happened.
"A hyperbaric chamber contains 100% oxygen, which is up to five times the amount of oxygen in a normal room," Troy Fire Lieutenant Keith Young explained, during a news conference. "The presence of such a high amount of oxygen in a pressurized environment can make it extremely combustible."
"Our initial research shows that this is not a common incident, and the scene remains under active investigation," Young said.
Officials have not said whether the child was ill, or why he was inside the hyperbaric chamber.
On its website, The Oxford Center advertises hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to improve general wellness, reverse aging, help with long COVID, and treat a lengthy list of conditions — everything from AIDS to Crohn’s disease to autism.
In 2022, Crain's Detroit Business looked into The Oxford Center's applied behavior analysis, or ABA — a "fringe therapy" to treat children on the autism spectrum that autism experts contacted by Crain’s warned is not supported by science. "The center's showpiece is its hyperbaric chamber room, where it sends children on 'dives' into high-pressure oxygen tanks for what it says is an effective alternative medicine treatment for those on the spectrum," Crain's reported.
HBOT is not an FDA-approved therapy for autism disorders.
In a statement Friday, The Oxford Center said this is "an exceptionally difficult day for all of us," adding: "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 Oxford Center has been the subject of investigations by law enforcement and regulators, including scrutiny by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
In 2023, a former director of services at the center was charged by the AG and arraigned on 18 felony counts alleging falsified therapist credentials, witness intimidation and identity theft. Kimberly Casey Coden, 38, of Huntington Woods, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in December 2024 to prison time, according to the AG's office.
Social workers are being made available for first responders and medical staff following Friday's tragic incident.
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