Wickham fire: Auction business that called former woolsheds home for 30 years lost estimated $480,000 worth of goods

So when it sounded last Tuesday, he picked up his phone and walked outside - as was the usual practice - and waited to be given the all-clear to go back in and continue his day.

But what tripped the alarm at the Annie Street site was the beginning of an inferno that would destroy the 80-year-old four-floor buildings and rage within metres of millions of litres of fuel at the Ampol storage depot on the next block of land.

Mr Norman, like those from the other dozen-or-so businesses that were set up in the old woolsheds, lost everything he had inside.

Speaking to the Newcastle Herald a week after the massive blaze, he said things still seemed "a bit raw".

Normans Auctions lost an estimated $480,000 worth of items, he said, including original paintings by John Earle, Bill Freeman and Pro Hart - "the most stock we've probably had for years".

"We've got to power on, but, mate," he said.

THE WICKHAM BLAZE:

"I've got to give credit to our landlord - they had everything in place [for in the case of an emergency].

"Whenever the alarms went off, there was plenty of time and warning to get out of the building."

It came as the NSW Environment Protection Authority, City of Newcastle and Fire and Rescue NSW continued investigating and cleaning reported cases of asbestos contamination west of the fireground.

The Newcastle Herald reported yesterday that 200 people remained displaced from their homes amid asbestos contamination fears following the fire.

The roofs of the former woolsheds were made from Super Six - a building material that contains asbestos.

Islington Public School and Islington Park remain closed due to the fallout and residents in Wickham, Maryville and Islington have expressed concern that they are living among the potentially dangerous material.

Cleaning is continuing at the Soque Apartments on Milford Street, which was badly affected by debris from the fire, but residents at the adjacent Avenue Apartments were allowed to return home on Tuesday night.

A public meeting regarding the clean-up effort is expected to be held this week.

The EPA says no asbestos particles have been detected by air monitors in and around Wickham.

Advice on what to do if you find suspected asbestos is available on the EPA's Facebook page.

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