Emergency services received a triple-0 call at 3.20pm on Wednesday to a property on Hunter Street with reports of a unit fire.

Upon arrival Dubbo Fire and Rescue NSW crews say there was smoke coming from the property but nobody was home.

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"The smoke alarm was going off and there was smoke to be seen and I think the neighbours had called it in [to triple-0]," Station Officer John Poulos said.

With nobody answering the unit's front door, firefighters gained entry through the back door.

"They found the source of if [the fire] which was just inside the back door. There was food left on the stove," Station Officer Poulos said.

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"It wasn't the sort of smoke that left too much damage, but cooking smoke does tend to smell for quite a while."

Firefighters ventilated the room and unit.

Station Officer Poulos urged people not to go out while leaving food on the stove and said the situation could have ended up with a much worse result.

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"It could have gone bad, but it's lucky they had a working smoke alarm that alerted the neighbours," he said.

"It's not just about you hearing the smoke alarm, it's your neighbours who could hear it."

MAP: The location of Hunter Street, Dubbo