Northern Territory firefighters are on full alert as the worst fire season in years looms due to huge fuel loads caused by recent La Ninas.

Some Northern Territory firefighters are set to work 36-hour shifts this weekend to cope with the threat.

Several years of heavy and abnormal rains have resulted in extraordinary fuel loads this year as the Territory enters an unusually hot and dry fire season, Shenagh Gamble from the Bureau of Meteorology said on Friday.

“This week we did issue our first catastrophic fire weather warning for the Northern-Barkly region and that is actually the first catastrophic fire danger warning that we’ve had in a couple of years,” Ms Gamble said.

“Having issued that in August this year, it does indicate the fire season for us is really only just getting started.”

The Territory is perhaps the most at-risk, but fire experts and meteorologists say the same pattern of growth and risk have made the entire continent a tinder box.

Extreme fire danger risks will be in place across the Darwin and Adelaide river regions this weekend, while catastrophic warnings will be in place in the north.

The outskirts of Darwin could also be faced with a catastrophic fire warning after the capital experienced its hottest day all year on Thursday.

Alice Springs staffing shortfall

Firefighters in the middle of EBA negotiations with the government for better pay and conditions are set to be stretched across the high-risk weekend, NT Fire and Rescue Service said.

“Particularly in these periods where we have sustained fire weather … we do unfortunately have to exceed the terms of our 24-hour rostering,” NTFRS deputy chief fire officer Joshua Fischer said.

Mr Fischer said Alice Springs, which has only one fire station, was having worse rostering conditions than other places.

“But there are strict processes around that,” he said.

The community has been advised not to operate machinery or create any unnecessary sparks across the weekend.

“We live and work in this community and so we also feel the impacts when homes are lost and when lives are impacted,” Mr Fisher said.

“That does take an emotional toll on our people.”

Fire conditions are forecast to ease in the NT by early next week.

-AAP