An Arizona physical therapist was killed after his hyperbaric chamber caught on fire while he was inside.
Havasu Health and Hyperbarics owner Dr. Walter Foxcroft, 43, was found dead on Wednesday after firefighters responded to reports of a fire in his office. The flames were caused by a flash fire, the Lake Havasu City Fire Department said in a statement.
Emergency responders pulled Foxcroft’s body from the chamber and pronounced him dead at the scene. He was the only person injured.
The city fire department is now investigating the cause.
Hyperbaric chambers are used to get more oxygen to tissues damaged by disease or injury, according to the Mayo Clinic. The chamber is pressurized two to three times higher than normal air pressure to help the lungs gather more oxygen.
Foxcroft first moved to Lake Havasu in 1998 as a teen, according to his website. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, where he served as a sports mascot. After graduating, he worked as the Arizona Cardinals’ mascot, Big Red, even attending the Super Bowl with the team in 2006.
He went on to earn a doctorate in physical therapy from Touro University Nevada.
He founded his office last year after getting certified as a Functional Medicine Hyperbaric Clinician. He became a Functional Medicine Hyperbaric Clinician, certified by the International Board of Undersea Medicine, and started Havasu Health and Hyperbarics in 2024.
Shannon Kenitz, the executive director of the International Hyperbarics Association, told local outlet Today’s News-Herald that Foxcroft completed the association's safety training.
"He was very passionate about hyperbaric therapy," she told the outlet.
Foxcroft’s friend, Grace Echevarria, told Today’s News-Herald she’s “grief-stricken” in the wake of his death.
“I sent [Foxcroft’s wife] a text to tell her that I was here if she needed me,” Echevarria said. “His little girl has been in our dance class and fine arts class, and I’ve known them for a couple of years. I’m grief-stricken about it.”
Jonathan O'Neill, a fellow physical therapist, said he shadowed Foxcroft during his training.
"I just remember how kind and thorough he was with each person, never in a rush, answered all questions, talked with family members etc,” he told Today’s News-Herald. “He even took me out to lunch, it was a great learning experience for me.”
