Firefighters rushed to a blaze in The Hill on Friday afternoon after an excavator caught fire at a vacant construction site.
The Newcastle Herald understands neighbours made calls to Fire and Rescue New South Wales after noticing smoke from a block of land on Mosbri Crescent.
Fire and Rescue New South Wales do not know how the fire began.
Crews arrived on scene just after 1:50pm and were able to extinguish the blaze.
The Herald understands a worker was operating the excavator at the time it caught alight.
He escaped unharmed after freeing himself from the machinery. The worker was not treated for injuries and was not taken to hospital.
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