Vehicles destroyed as fire tears through Darwin carpark

Seven cars have been totally destroyed and two more severely damaged after fire ripped through a carpark on Darwin's outskirts.

Fire crews were called to the blaze in Berrimah around midday, when a small grassfire quickly spread, sending flames as high as nearby power lines.

"Our main concern was obviously fuel in the vehicles," Acting Station Officer Trent Johnston said.

"There's plenty of sealed vessels that can explode when they're heated up."

It took crews around 15 minutes to bring the blaze under control, by which time the fire had jumped from five cars to seven.

Staff from nearby buildings watched on in horror as their vehicles were destroyed.

One young car owner told 9NEWS his new car was caught in the flames, just a day before his 18th birthday.

Another local tradie said the tools stored on the back of his ute were all brand new.

"That's probably the hardest part," Adam Loraine said.

"But no one's hurt, that's what insurance is for."

It's unknown how the fire started, but the Darwin region is on a total fire ban, with strong, dry winds making perfect fire conditions.

The fire weather warning and total fire ban is in place until at least midnight tonight.