A SEVERE storm warning has been issued for the Hunter - including Newcastle and Cessnock - as a dozen firefighters continue to patrol the scene of the devastating Abermain blaze.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has warned the area from Scone, to Taree, to Gosford, could be lashed by damaging winds, heavy rain and large hail later today.
A Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday that crews would continue to monitor conditions and would be on hand to stamp out any hotspots that could reignite.
The RFS spokesperson reminded all residents wherever a fire was burning nearby to monitor conditions closely and said everyone should have a bushfire survival plan in place.
An inferno sparked on Thursday, December 14, destroyed at least two homes and a business in one of the worst bushfires to tear through the coalfields in living memory.
It had scorched 847 hectares of land in the Weston and Abermain areas off Cessnock Road, extending to Kurri Kurri.
The RFS spokesperson said earlier on Tuesday afternoon there were about 12 firefighters patrolling the fireground.
The RFS spokesperson confirmed there was no current threat to homes or businesses and the fire was listed as under control.
"There are 12 firefighters there keeping an eye on things, making sure there are no flare-ups, and patrolling the fireground," the spokesperson said.
"Conditions are quite calm across the fireground."
Two community meetings will be held on Wednesday, December 20, to update residents on fire recovery efforts.
One will be at the Abermain Plaza Hall at 2pm and the other will be at the Kurri Kurri Senior Citizen Centre at 6.30pm.
Members of the RFS, Fire and Rescue NSW, National Parks and Wildlife Services, the state's reconstruction authority, and Cessnock City Council will provide information.
Cessnock MP Clayton Barr has encouraged community members affected by the bushfire to go to the state government's pop-up Bushfire Recovery Centre at Weston.
It will operate on Thursday and Friday.
There will be multiple services available at the centre to answer questions regarding support and services available to those who have been impacted by the recent fire emergency.
The Bushfire Recovery Centre will be at Weston Civic Centre which is located on Second Street.
It will open on Thursday from 12pm to 6:30pm and on Friday from 9:30am to 2:30pm.
Check the Hazards Near Me app for real-time updates.
On-the-ground firefighters, backed by helicopters from the air, were also patrolling the fireground yesterday, blackening out flames and assessing and felling tree hazards.
The communities affected by the ferocious fire have rallied to support those who lost everything.
