Quick work by firefighters has prevented a popular Merewether hotel from going up in flames.
Crews from three stations were called to the Prince Of Wales Hotel just before 1.30am on Tuesday to find a fire in the kitchen.
They managed to stop the flames from spreading.
Newcastle Fire Command says about 50 percent of the kitchen suffered fire damage - the rest of the hotel suffered smoke damage.
The cause of the fire is unclear, but police say they are not treating it as suspicious.
