Watch: Massive “Beast” Oil Rig Tips Over On Alaska’s North Slope

A large mobile drilling rig known as “The Beast” tipped over Friday afternoon while being transported along a gravel road on Alaska’s North Slope, prompting an emergency response from local and company officials, according to Yahoo. 

The incident happened around 4:45 p.m. and involved the Doyon 26 rig, which was operating for ConocoPhillips. In a joint statement, ConocoPhillips Alaska and the North Slope Borough said all workers were accounted for and that no one suffered serious injuries.

ConocoPhillips later reported that eight people — including two who were on the rig and six early responders — were treated at nearby medical clinics and released.

After the rig overturned, a fire broke out, but officials said it was “contained and controlled” by Friday evening with emergency crews on site. Authorities also emphasized that “there was no damage to local community infrastructure and no impact to pipelines or fuel transportation.”

By Saturday afternoon, officials said the response had moved into “an environmental impact assessment and mitigation effort,” and traffic in the area had returned to normal.

🚨🇺🇸 NORTH AMERICA’S BIGGEST LAND RIG TIPS OVER IN ALASKA

Doyon 26 toppled while being moved on a gravel road near ConocoPhillips’ Alpine field yesterday. Small fire broke out, got put out fast.

At 9.5 million pounds and nicknamed “The Beast,” it’s the largest mobile land rig… pic.twitter.com/1SsRYBRQOk

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 24, 2026

Gov. Mike Dunleavy posted on social media that he had “been in contact with ConocoPhillips leadership” and that there “appears to be minimal damage to the environment” so far. He added that the company was “working on plans to recover the rig.”

The Doyon 26 rig, ordered by ConocoPhillips in 2016, is one of the largest mobile land rigs in North America. Weighing about 9.5 million pounds, it set a long-distance drilling record in Alaska in 2022 and played a key role in developing oil reserves in western North Slope fields. Its size allows it to cover roughly three times the area of traditional rigs.

The rig was constructed, owned, and operated by Doyon Drilling, a subsidiary of Doyon, an Alaska Native regional corporation.

ConocoPhillips said Saturday that Doyon Drilling “is leading response and recovery efforts under a Unified Command structure including representatives from the State of Alaska, the Federal Government and the North Slope Borough.”