Marion County Fire Rescue crews were called to the KESMARC Florida rehabilitation center in Ocala recently after the equine-therapy center’s hyperbaric chamber exploded.

February 11, 2012|By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel

A 28-year-old woman and a horse are dead after a hyperbaric chamber exploded at an equine-therapy center in Marion County on Friday morning, fire rescue officials said.

A spokeswoman for Marion County Fire Rescue said crews were called to the rehabilitation center, called KESMARC Florida, on Highway 326 in Ocala about 9:20 a.m. Friday after a report of an explosion. The horse was inside the chamber when it exploded.

The cause is under investigation, but WFTV.com reports that the horse kicked off a protective coating on the chamber. Its "steel boot" contacted the steel chamber, causing a spark that led to the explosion, according to the website.

Erica Marshall was killed. Sorcha Moneley was taken to Shands HealthCare with traumatic injuries. She is thought to be in her 30s.

According to its website, KESMARC Florida is "a world class equine rehabilitation facility, dedicated to the recovery and conditioning of equine athletes."

The site advertises that KESMARC offers several hi-tech treatment options for horses, including hyperbaric oxygen treatments, an underwater treadmill and laser therapy.

Greene said the explosion caused a partial collapse of the facility, including the area containing the hyperbaric chamber. Hazmat crews were also called to the scene.

A YouTube video shows a technician demonstrating a KESMARC chamber. She explains it is used to treat numerous medical conditions, as well as for "post-competition recovery."

The KESMARC site hails hyperbaric therapy as a "revolutionary medical technology," the type of technological development that comes "once every two or three decades."

The website says that, 20 years ago, the breakthrough was ultrasound therapy, but "now, for equines, it is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy."

Greene said about 30 horses were at KESMARC, but only the one in the chamber was injured. Many of the animals' owners came to the facility to pick up their horses, she said.

The structure containing the chamber was deemed unsafe for occupancy as a result of the damage. A second structure with stables was also damaged, Greene said.

Points to consider:

The massive blast killed one worker, injured another while killing a horse that was undergoing therapy inside the Marion County equine rehabilitation center’s chamber when it exploded. An initial investigation by officials is pointing to an apparent spark within the high-oxygen chamber triggered the massive explosion that caused part of the building to collapse. Consider that hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) treatment is used to treat potentially fatal scuba diving injuries, and smoke inhalation, but sometimes recommended by alternative practitioners. The procedure involves the use of pressurized oxygen a cylindrical machine, making it an obvious fire and explosion hazard.