NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services has revealed it was swamped with emergency calls during Cracker Night festivities, responding to more than 231 grassfires alone and 13 structure fires stemming from Territory Day celebrations.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Joshua Fischer said in one instance, crews were called to reports of flames coming from the seventh floor of a high-rise building on Smith Street. Upon arrival, a large plastic rubbish bin filled with spent fireworks was on fire.

“Fortunately, the fire was put out and there was no serious structural damage, but it was poor decision-making on the part of those who set fireworks off from a high-rise building because the incident might have turned out very differently if the building had caught fire,” Mr Fischer said.

The total number of incidents attended by the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service in the 24 hours from July 1 included 231 grassfires, 14 rubbish bin fires, 13 structure fires, two hazmat, and 31 automatic fire alarms.

They also responded to 34 incidents of road crashes, six vehicular fires, and one fatal pedestrian collision.

Mr Fischer said the celebration of Territory Day proved to be a huge effort for firefighters and the over 100 volunteers assisting rostered duty crews.

“I’d like to also make a special mention to the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre (JESCC) operators who were receiving the calls and tasking out the jobs to members on the ground. Cracker Night is always challenging but they did an exceptional effort at coordinating the crews who were trying to attend multiple jobs at a time,” Mr Fischer said.

JESCC received a total of 870 Triple 0 calls and 147 calls to 131 444 relating to fire or fireworks from 9am on July 1 to noon on July 4. It was unclear why they included calls until noon on Monday.

Mr Fischer said that there continued to be several callouts over the weekend, where crews dealt with fires due to people still letting off fireworks.

“The possession of fireworks period has now concluded. Members of the public can contact NT WorkSafe on 1800 019 115 to arrange handing fireworks in, or attend a police station front counter,” he said.

Both police and emergency services advised the public to remain vigilant as fire conditions may continue across the Top End region.