BREAKING! Fire Rips Through Fennel Bay Home

 BY IAN CROUCH

One person has been taken to hospital after fire tore through a home at Fennell Bay overnight.

Newcastle Fire Command says crews were called to the two level home in Hely Avenue just before 2.00am on Tuesday October 28 to find the house up in flames.

A neighbour helped the occupants to safety.

NSW Ambulance says five people were treated for smoke inhalation with one taken to hospital for further treatment.

Around 40 firefighters took more than two hours to extinguish the blaze.

Police have set up a crime scene and will join fire investigators later on Tuesday morning to determine the cause of the fire. 

Meanwhile crews have quickly extinguished a fire at an abandoned house at Wallsend early Tuesday morning.

Firefighters arrived at the previously fire damaged home in Lewis Street just before 3.30am to find an external wall on fire.

Crews were hampered by the presence of asbestos and required decontamination once the fire was out.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the blaze.  

 

Man Charged Over Train Sex Offences

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

A man's been charged by police over two sexual offences on public transport, including one in the Hunter.

It's alleged the man performed sexual acts in front of passengers on a train from Wyee to Fassifern last month.

He's also been charged in relation to a similar incident on a train travelling from Hornsby to Strathfield in April.

Operation Artemis detectives arrested the 53-year-old man at a home in Glebe yesterday afternoon, he was refused bail to face court today.

Operation Artemis is an ongoing operation targeting sexual offences on the public transport network.

Police Call Off High Speed Pursuit At Fassifern

BY IAN CROUCH

Police are looking for the driver involved in a high speed pursuit at Lake Macquarie last night.

Officers attempted to pull over a Hyundai Tuscan on Macquarie Road, Fassifern for a Random Breath Test just after 10.30pm, but the driver refused to comply and took off.

Police pursued the car for 3 minutes at speeds reaching 100 kilometres per hour in a 50 zone, but terminated the chase when the driver crossed to the wrong side of the road.