Newcastle residents living near the site of a large warehouse fire say they feel let down and abandoned by authorities after their homes were showered with asbestos more than a week ago.
The two former wool store buildings burned down in a massive blaze that sent huge plumes of smoke billowing west over the suburbs of Wickham, Maryville, and Islington.
The smoke was carrying fragments of the building's cement sheet roofing, which contains asbestos and has caused a large-scale contamination problem.
The neighbouring Soque Warehouse Apartments were evacuated and asbestos contractors have been cleaning the 156 apartments affected.
But across the road in Islington's Roslyn Avenue, one block from the fire, resident Colin Hancock said he felt compelled to conduct the clean-up himself.
"I got most of it from the front yard on the concrete where it was easy to see. There was lots on my back deck as well and I also got heaps off the roof.
"Up on my roof, there's heaps of small particles of asbestos in the gutters … it's too fine and there's too much of it for me to pick it up.
"I'm not confident I've got it all, I know I haven't got it all, because I couldn't have, there was so much, and when I go back over it I still find little pieces."
Clean-up coordination criticised
Mr Hancock said he was informally advised by NSW Fire and Rescue that his home was classified as uninhabitable and for the past week he and his family have been living with friends.
He said he had received little advice from authorities about what to do.
Another resident in Roslyn Avenue said her property was "completely littered" with asbestos cement fibre material and was also critical of the coordination of the clean-up.
"I've spent hours ringing around multiple government agencies trying to get an answer," she said.
"In the end, we've done a lot of the clean-up ourselves because there's been no commitment in terms of time frame and if a clean-up will happen.
"We had to do it — otherwise we are walking through asbestos, potentially contaminating inside our house as well."
When the ABC visited Roslyn Avenue, contractors for Ausgrid were pruning trees in the street and using leaf blowers to gather leaves in the same street as gutters containing the asbestos fragments.
Yet, directly across the road, asbestos contractors in hazmat suits were cleaning the evacuated apartments.
"There's a bit of a disconnect there isn't there?" Mr Hancock said.
Homes will be professionally cleaned
NSW Public Works did visit Mr Hancock's property on Wednesday afternoon and deemed it high risk.
He was told the property would be thoroughly cleaned, a process which was likely to take three days and include removing the topsoil in his yard and garden beds.
Spokesman for the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) David Gathercole told ABC Radio Newcastle that residents should not touch suspected asbestos, but notify them by calling 13 15 55.
"Licensed asbestos specialists will assess the property and an independent contractor will clean up any asbestos identified."
Air monitors set up by the EPA have detected no recordings of asbestos and Mr Gathercole said the wet weather had helped to suppress any fibres.
The clean-up is being coordinated by NSW Fire and Rescue, Public Works NSW, The City of Newcastle, the EPA, and specialist asbestos assessors.
