The morning after an intense fire ripped through a Mayfield business, firefighters remained on scene to keep any smouldering under control.
Almost two hours after the terrifying inferno broke out on Monday afternoon, the blaze that blanketed the suburb in thick black smoke was contained.
The major operation at Hunter Valley Whitegoods drew dozens of firefighters, police and paramedics to the scene after reports of a building on fire near Denison Street about 3.30pm.
A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson said two fire trucks remained at the scene as crews monitored the building on Tuesday morning. A minor reignition was contained just before 6am.
There were some concerns about the stability of part of the building, the spokesperson said.
NSW Police said the community was urged to avoid the immediate area as the fire response was still underway on Tuesday.
A small amount of smoke was coming from the site and local residents were encouraged to close their doors and windows.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation but initial inquiries suggest the fire was not suspicious, police said.
On Monday, residents within a five-kilometre radius of the fire were urged to close their doors and windows to prevent smoke, fumes or embers entering their homes.
Across the road from the raging fire, Jesmond Light Commercials owner Mark Barnier said he expected emergency services to be there "for hours".
"We can see it from here, they've got the ladder appliance pumping a heap of water in through the roof at the moment," he said.
"It's more under control than it was 15 minutes ago when the roof structure caught alight and the flames and smoke increased exponentially. The flames were 10 or 15 metres in the air."
Mr Barnier told the Newcastle Herald several surrounding businesses and homes had lost power and some staff had evacuated the area.
Up to 1500 customers had the electricity cut off during the firefighting effort but most had power back within a couple of hours.
NSW Ambulance confirmed two people had been assessed at the scene, with residents who had been exposed to smoke who felt affected urged to seek medical attention.
Any impacted residents, including those who had been evacuated, were encouraged to attend a dedicated evacuation centre at Wests Club, 32 Industrial Drive Mayfield, where support services were on hand to assist.
About 30 homes near the fire zone were initially evacuated on Monday afternoon with four homes on Denison Street still affected by the evacuation orders on Tuesday.
It's the second time the business has caught alight, with a fire breaking out at the previous premises in 2014.
Before the blaze was contained, Mr Barnier said he was uncertain whether any other businesses had been affected.
"Though certainly that building has burned down," he said.
"There's still a bit of structure there, but it's well and truly on fire. I think they will be here for hours. There's nothing left but a brick shell of the building by the looks of it."
Road closures remained in place on Maitland Road and surrounding streets throughout Monday afternoon with drivers urged to avoid the area.
Maitland Road had re-opened but Denison Street between Maitland Road and Waratah Street remained closed to traffic and pedestrians on Tuesday.
Members of the public made more than 30 urgent triple zero calls to emergency services to report significant smoke and flames coming from the building.
It was traffic chaos for commuters with vehicles banked up and in gridlock. Maitland Road was closed in both directions while emergency services worked.
Police urged residents to not touch any items on their properties that they believe could be contaminated and to contact EPA on 131 555.
