Northern Territory Police are trying to get in contact with the owners of 13 cars that were destroyed while being held in a police compound.

They say it appears an officer has accidentally incinerated the cars during a back-burning operation at the Maranboy police station, about 70 kilometres south of Katherine.

The cars being held in a police compound caught fire and were destroyed.

Police say the vehicles had been seized for a range of offences.

They say the fire happened on Friday and is being investigated internally.