Arizona Clinic Owner Killed Inside Hyperbaric Chamber

A physical therapist in Arizona died Wednesday night after a flash fire erupted inside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber he was using at his own clinic. Authorities say Dr. Walter Foxcroft, 43, was found dead in the chamber at Havasu Health and Hyperbarics, a medical facility he opened last year in Lake Havasu City. Fire crews responding just before 11pm reported heavy smoke throughout the building and discovered Foxcroft inside the "intact" machine, which appeared to have experienced a "flash fire," per a press release. Foxcroft was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hyperbaric chambers are sealed, pressurized tubes filled with pure oxygen that are designed to help patients recover from wounds or illnesses. Why Foxcroft was using the chamber and what triggered the fire remain unknown, and People adds it's unclear who made the 911 call.

CBS News flags an unusual detail from Foxcroft's bio: He was a collegiate mascot at the University of Arizona, and later donned the Big Red costume for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, even making it to Super Bowl XLIII in 2006. He later became a doctor of physical therapy after graduating from Touro University Nevada. His death comes after a similar death in January that involved a 5-year-old boy who was being treated in a hyperbaric chamber.