Statement on Hyperbaric Chamber Fire

Statement on The January 31st  Hyperbaric Chamber Fire Resulting in a Tragedy in Troy Michigan

On the morning of Friday, January 31st, the IHA was made aware of the devastating tragedy that occurred in Troy, Michigan, at the Oxford Center. A fire inside a hyperbaric chamber resulted in the heartbreaking loss of a 5-year-old boy and serious injuries to his mother. I waited to make a public statement until we had more information, and this serves as a follow-up to the message I shared last Friday on IHA’s Social Media platforms.

At this time, what we do know is that a fire broke out in a Sechrist chamber. As you can imagine, this is an unimaginable loss for the family, the clinic staff, first responders, and the hyperbaric community as a whole. In moments like this, speculation and misinformation can cause more harm than good. I ask that we resist the urge to jump to conclusions or spread unverified information. This is not a time for division but a time for us to come together—for the family, for the industry, and for the future of hyperbaric therapy.

The IHA had our Safety Consultant on the ground in Michigan on Friday, offering support in any way we could with the resources available to us. We will continue to gather and share accurate information as it becomes available. At this moment, the cause of the fire remains unknown, and the investigation is ongoing. We stand ready to assist investigators however we can.

Unfortunately, we have seen other hyperbaric organizations use this tragedy to advance their own agendas, spreading misinformation to the media about free-standing clinics and off-label use of hyperbaric therapy and clinic certifications. The IHA will continue to challenge these misleading statements and advocate for truth.

Our commitment remains steadfast: the IHA exists to serve the entire hyperbaric community—without bias between on-label and off-label use. We will always fight for fair and accurate representation of hyperbaric therapy and its role in healthcare.

If you or your clinic are facing challenges in your state as a result of this tragedy, please reach out to us. We are here to support you.

In honor of those affected, we ask that this Friday, we all take a moment of silence—for the child and his family, for the clinic staff, for the first responders, and for our hyperbaric community as a whole.

This community is strong. We have weathered challenges before, and together, we will get through this. Let’s stand united, support one another, and honor the memory of this young life lost too soon.

With much gratitude,
Shannon Kenitz