More than 20,000 lightning strikes were recorded on the North Slope of Alaska in 2007. Some struck the vast stretches of lakes; some hit the treeless tundra. And one of them torched into life the largest and longest-lasting tundra fire recorded in the states history. The blaze, which started near the Anaktuvuk River on 16 July, burned 7,000 hectares a day at its peak, and eventually consumed 100,000 hectares, an area larger than that of New York City. It finally stopped burning in early October, smothered by thick snow.rnTwo years later, the scars left by the blaze are all too apparent from a helicopter circling over the region. So too is the area's quick recovery. Tussock grass, the predominant vegetation in northern Alaska, sends up vibrant green shoots from scorched meristems. Its white flowers bloom over the deeply blackened soil like a dust of snow, stretching to a hazy horizon. It is surprisingly beautiful.
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