Mayfield fire incident
On Monday 18 May 2026 NSW Fire & Rescue, NSW Police and NSW EPA attended a fire at a commercial premises at the corner of Denison Street and Maitland Road in Mayfield.
Clean up, decontamination, and make safe works are continuing across the identified public and private spaces around the Whitegoods store. Thank you to everyone for your cooperation and patience with our teams and contractors so far, as we work to remove any unknown materials from the area.
The risk to the broader community remains low, confirmed by air monitoring results in the area, along with the nature and amounts of bonded asbestos found. This has been helped by favourable weather conditions, including rain, which is suppressing any dust or transfer of material.
We understand that this situation may be difficult, and we want to work with our community to answer any questions that you may have during this time.
Latest update - 26 May
Since Tuesday 19 May, authorised contractors have been conducting a rolling assessment and cleanup of the public spaces across those areas where asbestos has been identified. This includes a thorough clean-up of public spaces like roadways and verges.
Our clean-up of public spaces involves two key actions: hand picking larger fragments of suspect material to remove them, followed by a dry vacuum to remove smaller fragments that may have been missed once weather conditions allow in spaces where required.
Last night, we received clearance for Waratah Street, Texas Street, and the southern part of Denison Street, which means they now return to normal access arrangements. Spaces still inside the fenced area include Denison Street (between Maitland Road and Waratah Street) and Ironstone Lane, with clean-up in those areas continuing in conjunction with making the warehouse site safe.
Please continue to follow signage in the area and directions from crews on the ground.
What to do if I find asbestos fragments at my place?
Asbestos fragments may have travelled from the roof of the Whitegoods store to your property. There is no one ‘way’ that these fragments may appear, but they may have a fairy floss, wool or plasterboard like texture.
If you find what you believe to be asbestos fragments on your house or in your yard, do not touch them.
Instead, report it immediately to City of Newcastle on our report Asbestos page, or calling our Customer Service team at (02) 4974 2000 from Monday to Friday, 8.00am - 5.00pm.
If you must handle small pieces temporarily to prevent them being walked on, driven over, or otherwise broken up in areas you must access, you should:
- Lightly mist the fragment with water to prevent dust
- Wear disposable gloves and a P2 respirator (these are readily available at hardware stores)
- Place the fragment gently into a sturdy plastic bag
- Do not break or snap the material
- Seal the bag and leave it outside in a safe location for contractor collection.
If you have deeper concerns about contamination for properties or vehicles, we ask that you contact your insurance company and note the clean-up order provided by the EPA for 1 Denison Street, Mayfield.
Teams will continue to connect with those that have raised requests or reports with CN regarding next steps for their properties.
What might asbestos fragments look like?
What is the plan for bin pickups?
General waste (red bin) pickups will resume on their regular schedule this week, following the supplementary pickup that took place on Friday morning. We believe the risk from red bin contamination remains extremely low.
Garden organics (green bin) pickups will remain uncollected for the time being, pending clearance notifications from our assessors and clean-up crews on the ground. There is a slightly elevated level of risk for contamination in green bins, owing to the potential presence of fragments on grass and plants that may make their way into the green bins.
As requested in our last update on Thursday night, please do not add to those green bins until we provide notification that it is safe to do so. This means delaying any lawn mowing or gardening activities that may end up requiring use of the green bin for the time being.
Once we receive that clearance from assessors and clean-up crews on the grounds, green bin collection will resume as normal. Thank you again for your cooperation and patience to help us avoid contamination in our waste system.
Past updates
For more information
Lifeline, 13 11 14 - Free 24-hour telephone crisis support.
Beyond Blue, 1300 22 46 36 - Free 24/7 counselling.
Kids Helpline, 1800 55 1800 - Free, private and confidential phone and online counselling for young people aged 5 to 25.
13YARN Australia, 13 92 76 - Crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
1800RESPECT, 1800 737 732 - 24-hour national sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling.
NSW Mental Health Line, 1800 011 511 - Staffed by trained mental health professionals for advice and referrals.
