Moment massive oil drilling rig collapses in Alaska's North Slope

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Footage shows a massive oil drilling rig Doyon 26 toppled over on the tundra of Alaska’s North Slope as it was moving Friday afternoon Jan 23, 2026. No serious injuries were reported on Doyon 26, the name of the rig involved. A small fire erupted on the rig, operating on behalf of ConocoPhillips Alaska, according to company officials, who said it was “traveling on an ice road” when it fell over around 4:45 p.m. Friday. ConocoPhillips reported that the fire is contained and controlled. There was no word on the cause of the incident from ConocoPhillips or Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who confirmed the incident on his Facebook page. “There was a small fire, but so far appears to be minimal damage to the environment and no impact to oil infrastructure or facilities,” Dunleavy stated. “They are responding with a team, working on plans to recover the rig, and we will know more as they assess.” ConocoPhillips said that all personnel in the area had been accounted for and there were no serious injuries. “There was no damage to local community infrastructure and no impact to pipelines or fuel transportation. Emergency response personnel remain on site,” ConocoPhillips officials said. “We will provide additional details as they are available.” The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said late Friday that it is aware of the incident and is actively monitoring the situation. In a statement, the agency said its staff is in direct contact with “company officials” to oversee containment efforts and ensure regulatory requirements are followed. Video circulating online show what appears to be a rig toppling over on icy and snowy ground. The structure’s lights go dark moments before impacting the ground. Alaska’s News Source has not verified the authenticity of the video. Rig 26, owned by Doyon Drilling Inc., runs on diesel and natural gas, according to the company website, and has the capacity to drill on any developed drill site on the North Slope. Rig 26 was described by ConocoPhillips in a 2022 press release as the largest mobile land drilling rig in North America, capable of drilling wells more than 40,000 feet in length. According to ConocoPhillips, the rig’s extended reach capabilities allowed operators to access as much as 154 square miles of reservoir from a single drilling pad.