Frantic efforts to save fire victim
Clive Jenkins was an integral part of the Franz Josef community.
As a mechanic with a big workshop on Donovan Dr, about four kilometres from the centre of the West Coast tourist town, he literally kept the place running.
But on Tuesday night, others were running to his aid. It is believed he perished in a fire at the property.
The alarm was sounded by his new partner, who turned up on Keith Hartley’s doorstep about 7.35pm.
She was distressed, soaking wet and had lost her shoes.
She told Hartley, who had only been in his job as manager of the Franz Alpine retreat for a week, that she and Jenkins had had a fight and then things had spun out.
‘‘She was in a terrible state. She said the place was alight and her partner was inside,’’ Hartley said.
‘‘She was absolutely distraught. I shot up there to see if I could do anything and I called out to see if I could get him, but the place was already engulfed and he would not have heard me.
‘‘I grabbed one of the hoses that was on the outside, but the windows started popping out and I thought it was too dangerous to be there with the car and things around. I didn’t know what was inside. It’s big enough to put buses in.
‘‘There was nothing anybody could do. The flames were five metres high.’’
While details were still sketchy last night, it appears Jenkins drove around the property in a front-end loader, containing his rifles and a barrel of oil, while his house, attached to the workshop was well ablaze.
It is believed Jenkins, a popular and obliging figure in the community, broke up with his previous partner earlier this year and was in a new relationship.
Friends described him as a very capable, good guy.
Franz Josef businessman Gavin Molloy said Jenkins was a good friend of his and everyone was very surprised and saddened at what had happened.
‘‘He provides a damn good service for the area. I was just there [Tuesday] afternoon and there was no sign anything was about to happen. We are devastated. He is a very obliging bloke. A real good guy.’’
Clark Johnson, the owner of Fox Glacier Motors, said Jenkins was a clever and capable person.
Jenkins had worked for him in the past and built up his own successful business in Franz Josef over about eight years.
Police yesterday found a body at the scene of the fire.
While a formal identification process was still to be completed, it was believed to be that of Jenkins.
Police are not seeking anyone else in relation to the incident and said the investigation at the scene was still ongoing.
Fox Glacier fire chief John Sullivan said police told his crew to gather at a safe place when they arrived. The fire was left to burn itself out, which it did about 2.30am yesterday.
‘‘The roof was collapsing and the walls were caving in when we got there. We were there for a couple of hours,’’ he said.
Franz Josef had its own volunteer brigade and the Fox brigade was called in to provide support.
Explosions were heard coming from the building.
Local Four Square owner Chris Roy, who lives on Donovan Dr, said he and Jenkins were mates and when he saw the fire from his front room he did not know what to think.
‘‘It was a huge fire. Spectacular.’’
‘‘We are devastated. He is a very obliging bloke. A real good guy.’’ Franz Josef businessman Gavin Molloy