Gov. Sarah Palin called the fires -- all within the last 34 days and at different fields and facilities -- "above and beyond anything that is acceptable."

The most recent fire occurred Monday, said Resources Commissioner Tom Irwin. There were no injuries, but the extent of damage was not immediately known.

"Their history recently hasn't been too good," Irwin said. "We want to have answers to these questions as to what's going on in the North Slope."

Meanwhile, two investigators from the newly formed Petroleum Systems Integrity Office are en route to the North Slope to investigate, said coordinator Jonne Slemons.

"It becomes a bit more urgent that it's happening over and over again," Slemons said. "It does bring to mind the question: Is there a broad cause-and-effect situation going on here?"

The state fire marshal's office also was investigating.

BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said the fires do not reflect a systemic problem.

"These are distinct events and not part of any kind of a pattern," Rinehart said. "We have a big operation and fires are regrettable, but they do happen in oil fields.

"We are prepared for them," Rinehart said. "We have a very sophisticated, multilayered safety system in place."

Slemons said the administration hopes to meet with BP officials, including BP Exploration Alaska Inc. President Doug Suttles and Technical Director Tony Brock, within the next few days.

Rinehart said while the notice is short, the company routinely tries to accommodate such requests.

BP has been beset with problems in North America for nearly two years.

An explosion in 2005 at BP's Texas City refinery killed 15 people and injured more than 170 others. An internal report by London-based BP this year said there was a culture at the plant that seemed to ignore risk, tolerated noncompliance and accepted incompetence.

In March 2006, more than 200,000 gallons of oil leaked at Alaska's Prudhoe Bay field due to corrosion.

Five months later, after another leak, BP partially shut down the nation's largest oil field, which it operates on behalf of itself, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp.

BP is currently replacing 16 miles of corroded pipeline. It plans to have the work done by next the end of next year at a cost of about $250 million.

Prudhoe Bay is responsible for nearly half of the North Slope 800,000 barrel per day production, or about 8 percent of the nation's daily output.

Slemons said BP has been cooperative and open through its recent problems, and the state isn't pursuing fines.

"BP's response to contain the fires has been quick," she said. "We are much more interested in the overall operating process and management process that have led us to the point."