BY IAN CROUCH
Strong winds have hampered efforts to contain an overnight bushfire at Fern Bay.
Four Fire & Rescue and three RFS trucks were called to Braid Road at about 10.30pm on Sunday.
Newcastle Fire Command says although there are homes in the area, no properties were under threat.
Crews took around 2-and-a-half hours to extinguish and black out the fire, which burnt through about 1 hectare of bush.
