Fatal blaze began in car

By SCOTT MacLEOD

The fire that killed top golfer Terry Kendall in his car is now thought to have started inside the vehicle, but how it ignited remains a mystery.

Mr Kendall, aged 55, died in Middlemore Hospital after the car caught fire on Friday night while parked in long grass at the Fergusson Avenue Reserve near the St Lukes shopping centre in Auckland.

The car had no plates and was de-registered, but could be driven and locked.

An Auckland City Council spokesman said yesterday that a person phoned on November 8 complaining about the car being parked in Wagener Place.

Council staff phoned Mr Kendall last Tuesday and left a message, but could not contact him. A blue "sticky notice" was left on the car saying the council intended to remove it as an abandoned vehicle.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jim Gallagher said the car was initially parked near a fenceline, but Mr Kendall apparently shifted it to an open area last Friday.

Police inquiries had found that the car was quickly scoped out by people who wanted to break into it or strip it of parts. Those people were "innocent of doing anything more sinister", Mr Gallagher said.

The fire, at 10pm, swiftly gutted the vehicle.

Fire safety officer Fred Oates said flames could sweep through a car in less than two minutes, feeding on the dashboard, plastic parts and foam seats.

The heat could melt plastic in the door locks, trapping a person inside.

Smoke and heat would quickly overcome people in such a small place.

Mr Kendall was a top New Zealand golfer of the 1970s, and won at least 10 tournaments.

But, like many other pros, he became tired of living out of a suitcase. By 1984, he had settled with his wife and two daughters back in New Zealand, where he worked as a local golf pro and coach.

Three years ago, Mr Kendall played in the Senior British Open championship with Kiwi golfing legend Sir Bob Charles.

Mr Kendall's wife, Liz, has been staying with friends since the blaze.

The couple were not separated at the time of Mr Kendall's death, as wrongly reported yesterday.