Fire Crews Kept Busy With Multiple Blazes

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL AND IAN CROUCH

Hunter firefighters have been kept busy attending a number of blazes this morning.

Newcastle firefighters extinguished a fire in a rubbish bin at a building in King Street.

5 crews attended the scene around 11am, where 2 levels of the building had become smoke-logged.

Over 65 people evacuated but fortunately, no-one was injured.

Earlier, crews from several stations extinguished a fire at a single story weatherboard home in Bowman Street at Swansea.

Nearby residents raised the alarm just before 9:30 and it took crews around an hour to extinguish.

Nobody was injured and police will investigate the cause of the blaze.

Meanwhile, crews are still at the scene of a fire at Lorn, where a two storey unoccupied brick home in Allan Street is on fire.

Hunter Pharmacist Accused Of Dealing Illicit Drugs

BY IAN CROUCH

Police investigating drug supply across the Hunter have arrested a well-known local pharmacist.

The Newcastle Herald reports Phillip Slater, who has a financial interest in at least five pharmacies, is accused of supplying illicit drugs.

He was arrested yesterday following a raid on his home at Lorn.

More than 100 boxes of prescription medication, steroid injections and pseudoephedrine pills were allegedly found.

The 36-year-old is due to front Maitland Local Court today.

Strike force detectives also searched a property on Valley Drive at Tenambit and arrested a 30-year-old man.

He's also due to appear at Maitland Local Court today charged with supplying a prohibited drug, deal with the proceeds of crime and goods in custody.

Police also searched a home on Murray Street, East Maitland and seized a number of scripts for prescribed substances as well as a number of licensed firearms and prohibited knives.

A 53-year-old male resident's firearms license has been suspended as investigations continue.