Coal Ship Fire At Kooragang Island

BY IAN CROUCH

The crew of a coal ship docked at the Kooragang Island coal loader has been evacuated after a fire broke out on Sunday night.

6 fire trucks were called to the ship at about a quarter to six to find a fire in a store room on board.

Newcastle Fire Command says the fire spread to adjoining areas before it was contained.

Crews carried out a search of the entire ship before declaring it safe several hours later.

15 crew were evacuated from the ship - a number were treated for smoke inhalation.

BREAKING: Myuna Bay to Receive New Recreation Centre

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

Acting Sport Minister Geoff Lee has announced a brand new waterfront sport and recreation centre will be built at Myuna Bay.

The original Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre was closed unexpectedly in March following a safety report from Origin Energy warning the nearby Eraring Power Station ash dam posed a risk to those using the site.

The sudden closure sparked community outcry and prompted a petition for the site to be reopened, as questions surfaced about the legitimacy of Origin's report.

Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper fought hard to see the matter addressed, tabling the petition in parliament and calling for an apology from Origin over the sudden closure which left staff in the lurch and forced schools and other organisations to cancel events scheduled to go ahead at the facility.

“I stand by the view that this closure was handled appallingly and I believe that the risk posed to the Sport and Recreation Centre by the ash dam wall is so infinitely small that it didn’t warrant the panicked response and immediate closure,” Mr Piper said.

“That said, the action was taken and we need to now move forward with what I believe will provide a good long-term outcome.

“I appreciate that Origin Energy and the Office of Sport have agreed to this deal and I appreciate the State Government’s efforts, particularly from John Sidoti and the Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee who drove these negotiations on behalf of myself and the local community."

The announcement of a new centre follows two independent reports undertaken in the wake of the facility's closure, the most recent of which recommends the original facility remain closed.

A deal has been struck between the Office of Sport and Origin Energy which will see construction of the new centre fast tracked at a nearby waterfront site owned by the energy operator.

Origin Energy will pay for the construction of the new facility and will be required to urgently repair its Eraring ash dam wall, which currently poses a risk to Myuna Bay, the lake, and anyone travelling on Wangi Road.

The Office of Sport will be given a 99-year lease on the new site and will retain ownership of the original Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre, which will be rehabilitated and re-vegetated at Origin's cost and protected from future development.

Current staff will be offered redundancy or redeployment to other sport centres across the state and will be given priority re-employment when the new centre is opened.

The local water ski club and Morisset Rotary Club will both be compensated by Origin for losses.

Acting Sport Minister Geoff Lee and Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper address residents and stakeholders. Image: James Forgacs/2NURFM

UPDATE! Police Launch Appeal To Find Missing East Maitland Man

BY IAN CROUCH

Police have advised that Mr Maskell is safe and well after presenting himself to Maitland Police Station at about 5.00pm on Thursday.

EARLIER:

Police are appealing for help to find a man who's gone missing from East Maitland.

Jason Maskell was last seen leaving his home at about 10 o'clock on Tuesday night.

Police and his family hold concerns for the 43-year-old as he hasn't been heard from since.

Jason is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180 centimetres tall with an average build, short brown spiky hair, hazel/green eyes and is clean shaven.

He was last seen wearing a lime green t-shirt with a palm tree pattern on the front, navy shorts with a red and white stripe on the side, a full brimmed navy hat and white sneakers with an orange stripe.

Anyone with information about Jason's whereabouts is to contact police immediately.

Missing Man Jason Maskell

Man Saved By Smoke Alarm As Muswellbrook Home Erupts In Flames

BY IAN CROUCH

A smoke alarm has saved the life of a man after his Muswellbrook home went up in flames overnight.

Newcastle Fire Command says they received 9 triple zero calls just before midnight on Tuesday, with crews from Muswellbrook, Aberdeen and Denman arriving to find the vinyl clad single level home on Shaw Street well alight.

A 53-year-old man, who was the sole occupant of the home, was woken by a smoke alarm and managed to escape as the fire took hold.

He was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and was taken to Muswellbrook Hospital for observation.

It took about an hour to extinguish the fire which also melted the cladding and eves of the home next door.

The cause of the fire is not known at this stage.

Crews fighting the blaze on Shaw Street Muswellbrook Picture Muswellbrook Fire & Rescue

Level 2 Water Restrictions On The Way for Lower Hunter

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

Level 2 water restrictions will be introduced across the Lower Hunter as dam levels continue to fall.

Under Level 2 restrictions, showers are limited to 4 minutes in length, outdoor watering is limited to 15 minutes every second day and vehicles and buildings can only be washed with a bucket.

The region has reduced its water usage by 17% since Level 1 restrictions came into force in September but it's not enough to compete with hot and dry conditions forecast to continue until the end of summer.

According to State Water Minister Melinda Pavey the Lower Hunter's dams are declining at a rate of roughly one per cent each week.

Hunter Water reports water storage levels have now reached 57.9%, the lowest they've been since July 1980.

The corporation's Executive Drought Lead Darren Cleary said he's hopeful further restrictions would build on the significant savings made since September.

“We’ve been working closely with our large business customers who use more than 10 million litres of water a year to develop Water Efficiency Management Plans. This will soon be expanded to our smaller business customers as they start preparing their own plans," Mr Cleary said.

“Thank you to everyone in our community for playing their part to save water, because your efforts are helping make a difference.”

Level 2 water restrictions will commence across the Lower Hunter from January 20, 2020.

More information on Level 2 water restrictions can be found at Hunter Water's website.

Image: Hunter Water

Fires Force Cancellation of Cessnock, Singleton Christmas Celebrations

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

Cessnock and Singleton Shire Councils have advised their Christmas events due to go ahead on Friday night (December 6th) have now been cancelled.

There are a number of significant bushfires burning across both Local Government Areas and heavy smoke is blanketing the region, forcing the cancellation of Cessnock's Carols in the Park event and Singleton's Christmas on John Street.

Cessnock City Council’s General Manager, Lotta Jackson said it’s difficult to cancel such a wonderful community event at such late notice but Council must put community health and safety first.

“The bush fire rating for today is severe, so conditions in the Cessnock Local Government Area are not expected to ease. We have a number of large fires burning in Yango National Park which is impacting on residents in Paynes Crossing, Wollombi, Laguna and surrounds. There is also a blaze continuing to burn in Pelaw Main.”

Singleton Council General Manager Jason Linnane echoed the statement, advising the hot, windy and smoky conditions are not conducive to a fun, family friendly event and the event's cancellation was the only appropriate decision.

Residents with heart and lung conditions are advised to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid the thick smoke and ash fall currently being experienced across the entire Hunter region.

At this stage, the events have not been rescheduled.

Heavy smoke hangs over the University of Newcastle's Callaghan Campus

Five-megawatt Solar Farm and Resource Recovery Center opens at Summer Hill

BY ISABEL EVERETT

An $8 million dollar, five-megawatt solar farm and $6 million dollar resource recovery center has opened at Summer Hill Waste Management center.

The solar farm spans the length of 5 football fields, sitting on a previous land fill site, and is expected to save rate payers around $9 million dollars over its 25-year life span. 

The farm will produce enough energy to power the equivalent of 1,300 households, significantly cutting councils electricity costs. 

"Its an impressive site to see whats on the surface, but to also understand that this is on a prior landfill site that wasn't capable of any agricultural purpose, so to give it such a good environmental purpose is really clever," Port Stephens MP and Shadow Minister for the Environment Kate Washington said. 

A recent purchase-power agreement to source electricity from the state's largest wind farm, moves Newcastle city council to become the first local government in NSW to move to 100 percent renewable's as of next year. 

"Newcastle city council is the first council to have created and built a solar farm and as of January first, all of councils operations will be sourced from renewable energy and that's a remarkable outcome," Kate Washington said.  

Newcastle residents can drop off pre-sorted recyclables such as scrap metals, sorted yellow bin recyclables, paper and cardboard, clean untreated wood and soft plastic at the Resource Recovery Center free of charge, diverting around 5,700 tonnes of waste from landfill each year. 

"Newcastle city council is doing exactly what we need to see happening, they are giving people the opportunity to be more environmentally conscious," Kate Washington said. 

"Communities across the state are already there, they want to know what they can do to achieve better environmental outcomes, to reduce land fill and improve our sustainability." 

State MP for Port Stephens Kate Washington, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Cr Peta Winney-Baartz 

State MP for Port Stephens Kate Washington, City of Newcastle Business Development Manager Mark Johnson,Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, Hon Taylor Martin MLC and Cr Peta Winney-Baartz 

BREAKING! One House Destroyed And Two Others Damaged In Major Fire Emergency At Kilaben Bay

BY IAN CROUCH

One house has been destroyed and two others have been damaged by fire at Kilaben Bay.

Firefighters were called to a double storey home in Ridge Road at about 6.00pm on Tuesday, arriving to find the house engulfed in flames.

The intense fire spread to the adjoining homes either side of the property, prompting a major response from emergency services

12 fire trucks were sent to the incident, with the first home collapsing as the fire spread.

It's taken crews almost 5 hours to extinguish and mop up the fires.

No-one was injured.

One home was destroyed, a second sustained 50 percent fire damage and the 3rd suffered minor damage.

The cause of the initial fire is not known at this stage.

UPDATE! Fatal Crash Sparks Bushfire at Pelaw Main Emergency Warning Issued

BY IAN CROUCH

8PM UPDATE:

The fire at Pelaw Main has been downgraded to Watch and Act Level.

Conditions have eased allowing firefighters to gain the upper hand on the blaze.

RFS Crews have stopped the fire at Richmond Vale Road, which still remains closed. Several other roads have now re-opened in the area.

Residents in and around the Averys Lane are urged to stay vigilant, as conditions could change. The fire remains at Watch and Act Level and residents should enact their bushfire survival plan.

Crews are hoping to keep the fire contained and reduce it to advice level. Firefighters are preparing for warm windy weather tomorrow.

There are no reports of loss or damage to property in the area.

7PM UPDATE:

The fire at Pelaw Main remains burning at an Emergency Level.

Fire is burning East from Leggets Drive and has burnt through around 200 hectares and is likely to keep growing.

Around 30 homes are potentially under threat around Averys Lane at Buchanan.

Residents are being advised to take shelter in a sold structure as the fire approaches.

The latest advice from the Rural Fire Service is that the fire has spotted to the east of Leggats Drive in an area known as The Dam on the western side of Richmond Vale Road.

Crews have managed to stop the fire at Richmond Vale Road however there are still fires burning to the north and south of the main fire front.

There are no reports of any property loss or damage at this stage. Around 30 homes are potentially under threat.

There are several road closures including Richmond Vale Road, Leggetts Drive, George Booth Drive  and Sheppeard Drive.

One of the Large Air Tankers at the Pelaw Main bush providing valuable support to firefighters on the ground who are working to slow the spread of the fire. Image: Rural Fire Service

6PM UPDATE:

An Emergency Warning has been issued for a fire burning at Pelaw Main.

The fire is burning in the area of Leggettts Drive and is heading in an easterly direction towards Avery Lane at Stanford Merthyr.

Residents are being advised that it is too late to leave and to seek shelter as the fire approaches and to protect yourself from the heat of the fire.

The advice also applies for residents at Richmond Vale.

The RFS says around 25 homes are under threat around Averys Lane

Earlier:

Firefighters are battling a bushfire at Pelaw Main.

NSW Fire and Rescue and RFS crews were called to reports of a car on fire due to a crash on Leggetts Drive at about 10.30am on Tuesday.

It's believed one person has died in the crash

The fire has since jumped Leggetts Drive and is burning on both sides of the road with the fire heading in an easterly direction.

It's understood the fire has burnt through 6 hectares and is being fanned by gusty westerly winds.

Leggetts Drive has been closed in both directions south of Neath Street.

Extra resources are on the way and the RFS has requested a helitanker to assist ground crews.

There are no reports of properties under threat at this stage.

Image: Kel Hanson via RFS

Cessnock Man Charged over Attempted Child Sex Assault

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

Detectives have charged a Cessnock man with the attempted sexual assault of a young girl.

Investigations began in June following reports a man attempted to sexually assault a young girl known to him at a home in the Hunter.

Following extensive inquiries assisted by the Australian Federal Police the 34-year-old was arrested on Saturday afternoon.

Police also conducted searches of two homes in the Hunter, seizing a number of electronic storage devices.

The man briefly faced Newcastle Bail Court on Saturday, where he was formally refused bail to reappear at Cessnock Local Court on Monday.

He is accused of attempting to sexually assault a girl under the age of 10 on a number of occasions between December 2018 and June 2019.

Police also allege the man produced, sent and received child abuse material online.

Anyone with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.

Former Police Minister's Father Under Investigation Over Fatal Hit And Run Near Maitland

BY IAN CROUCH

The father of former Police Minister, Troy Grant has been charged with drink driving and is under investigation over a fatal hit and run near Maitland.

News Limited reports Ken Grant was pulled over following a short low-speed pursuit at Lorn on Saturday night.

It's alleged the 72-year-old was seen driving erratically and returned a blood alcohol reading of point 108.

He's been charged with mid-range drink driving and is also being questioned over the death of a 62-year-old man who was knocked down and killed at nearby Bolwarra a short time earlier.