In a holiday message to the Illawarra, Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Don Pescud said basic carelessness could creep up during the festive season, quickly turning a joyous occasion into a disaster.

Inspector Pescud said all residents should have a home evacuation plan mapped out in case of a fire and pleaded with people to keep their smoke alarms in good working order - which included working batteries.

"Sometimes people do neglect these. People often take batteries out of their smoke alarms and put them into new gadgets or toys they've bought," he said.

"You need to make sure your smoke alarms are working and have an evacuation plan. If people did those two things, everyone would be much safer."

Inspector Pescud also warned that cooking the Christmas lunch could turn into a catastrophe without extra vigilance in the kitchen.

Inspector Pescud said firefighters were often called to cooking flare-ups caused by aspiring master chefs forgetting about the roast in the oven or the pot on the stove, and again asked for more care to be taken over the festive season.

"Kitchens are a major source of fires and such fires can get out of control in a few minutes," he said.

"They can destroy houses, if people are careless and walk away from food."

He also urged people to not overload electrical sockets or power boards.