Weekend thunderstorms brought more than 14,000 lightning strikes across Alaska, sparking dozens of new wildfires. Statewide, 223 fires had burned nearly 110,000 acres by Monday, and an evacuation order remained in place for the fire near Anderson.
There were 4,500 lightning strikes in Alaska Tuesday — the latest in a run of days with thousands of ground strikes. There were also another 13 new, primarily lightning sparked wildfires in the state Tuesday, mostly in the Interior. The lightning storms have coincided with very dry conditions.
On Tuesday night, the state of Alaska saw thousands of lightning strikes. “Most of the 3,800 lightning strikes were concentrated in the Northwest Arctic,” said BLM Alaska Fire Service spokeswoman Beth Ipsen. There are several communities in close proximity to new fires.
Longer hot, dry spells in the boreal forests that stretch across Alaska and the Northwest Territories create the conditions for wildfires triggered by lightning strikes.
Of the 89 wildfires burning across Alaska right now, several are in the northern part of the state, either in the Arctic or near its southern boundary.
Several wildfires broke out across Överkalix and other parts of Norrbotten following a thunderstorm and lightning strikes on July 22, 2025, overwhelming local emergency services.
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