To date in 2010, eleven fires have been detected on the North Slope. There has been some interest in the fire activity and whether it is abnormal. Here I provide some basic statistics on North Slope fires since 1969 to provide some context. There have been 34 recorded fires on the north slope. Early season fires tend to be smaller and burn for only a single burn period. Mid-season fires have potential to burn longer and to a greater area if conditions allow fire to penetrate and hold overnight in the duff. Fires are carried by the accumulation of cured, dead sedge foliage. The mean and median fire size is 60-80 acres. The lightning season is mid-June to late July. Strike density decrease exponentially from the foothills of the Brooks Range out to the coastal plain. Although fire frequency has increased in the last 40 years, the size of the fires detected has simultaneously decreased which suggests it may be explained by increased aircraft traffic and by better remote sensing technology.