Forty house fires in NSW in three days

Residents are being urged to check their smoke alarms after Fire & Rescue NSW attended 40 house fires in the past three days.

As the cold snap moved through the state on Friday and indoor heating ramped up, firefighters were called out to homes in both metropolitan and regional areas to deal with incidents.

House fires are common during the winter months but FRNSW are encouraging residents to minimise risks.

"It's a recurring thing that we have each year, everything from cleaning the lint filter in dryers to using outdoor heating appropriately and not bringing it indoors," a FRNSW spokesman told AAP.

"The key message comes down to actually having a working smoke alarm."

HOW TO MINIMISE YOUR RISK

* avoid overloading power points and power boards

* turn off electric blankets, dryers and heaters while away

* change smoke alarms every ten years, replace batteries every year

* keep looking when cooking