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FORMER Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery director William Frank Ellis, OBE, has died, after the home he was staying at was engulfed by flames early on Sunday morning.
The 86-year-old was the sole occupant of the home in Talisker Street at Perth, which caught alight just before 1am.
Mr Ellis was the director of QVMAG between 1955 and 1978. He was the director of the West Australian Art Gallery from 1978 until 1986, when he was appointed as director of the Burnie Art Gallery.
Longford brigade chief Mike Armstrong said units from Perth, Longford and Launceston attended the blaze, which was well alight by the time crews arrived on scene.
‘‘When we arrived here the fire was mainly at the back of the premises and was moving forward towards the front,’’ he said.
‘‘We took approximately 20 minutes to knock the fire down, and then it was approximately another hour to extinguish it.’’
Neighbour John Scott said he called emergency services after he heard a ‘‘bang’’ just before 1am.
‘‘We raced out onto my back deck and looked over here, and there were just flames everywhere,’’ he said.
‘‘We raced out and tried to knock on the door and see if there was anyone there, but we didn’t hear anything. Then we just rang triple zero.
‘‘It was well and truly alight by the time we saw it. Flames were up over the roof.’’
Mr Ellis’s daughter Niki Ellis said her father was a clever man, and said although he had ‘‘had a good life,’’ the news of his death came as a shock.
‘‘I’m proud to be his daughter and I’m proud of the contribution that he made to Tasmania through his work at the QVMAG,’’ she said.
The cause of the fire was still being investigated last night, but police said it was not believed to be suspicious.