Fort McMurray Disaster:Wildfire Shows No Let Up;Rescue Convoys Continue

As of Saturday morning,there was no improvement in the wildfire catastrophe that has virtually emptied what remains of Fort McMurray,Alberta,sending its 80,000 residents fleeing north or south from the conflagration.According to Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale,the situation remains unpredictable and dangerous.The convoys that guided around 7500 evacuees from their crowded refuges in the oilsands camps north of the city on Friday would continue today,he said.Hopefully another 7500 of the 20,000 northern evacuees would be convoyed to safety south of Fort McMurray today.The residents of the city were split up into those fleeing north and those rushing south when the main highway through town,Highway 63,was closed by the raging blaze.They are taking refuge as far south as Edmonton and Calgary in everywhere from hotels to reception centres and the homes of friends and relatives.
Police are marshaling the evacuees into small convoys of 50 vehicles each that are then led down the road one convoy at a time.A handful of stragglers in the city have been escorted out by the RCMP.Wildland firefighters from other provinces are being brought into the area to relieve their exhausted Alberta colleagues.Fires or the threat of fires are currently rampant across the entire boreal forest in the dry and windswept conditions.
The fire,which is likely to burn on for weeks,will result in losses of well into the billions of dollars.So far,there are no known fatalties from it,but it is surely a chapter in the history of North American wildland fire,given the scope of the evacuations and the extreme fire behaviour,such as firenadoes,whirlwinds of flame that have been spotted among the trees and brush of Fort McMurray.

Tigers Muffle A's;SoCal Fire Threat Soars

Strong pitching by the Detroit Tigers muffled the Oakland Athletics' bats as the Tigers took game one of the American League Division Series 3-2 Friday night at Oakland Coliseum.Max Sherzer manhandled the A's with his fastball,striking out 11 in his 7 innings of work,and reliever Joaquin Benoit finished the job,getting the save.*
The only real excitement for the boisterous,towel-waving A's fans came in the seventh inning,when strongman Yoenis Cespedes clubbed a two-run homer,but it was too little too late for the Bay Area squad as they dropped the opener of the best 3 out of 5 ALDS.
One A's fan was so anxious,he bit his yellow towel as he watched the Tigers pitching shut his team down.*
In Southern California,the anxiety this weekend is about a severe wildfire threat as the annual ritual of the Santa Ana winds kicks into gear.These winds form when high pressure builds in the desert,pushing cool,dry air over the mountains and down toward the coast.As the air descends the slopes,it heats up rapidly and,striking the tinder dry vegetation,has a strong potential of igniting wildland fire.
Red flag fire warnings are posted for much of Los Angeles;Orange;San Bernardino;and Riverside Counties;plus other areas as far south as Campo on the Mexico border.Critical fire conditions will persist till Sunday evening,the National Weather Service said.
Los Angeles County is preparing by staffing nearly 500 extra firefighters on equipment across the county.Together with US Forest Service firefighters and a few dozen aircraft,they will handle the danger posed by near record low fuel moisture levels combined with the Santa Anas.Gusts of up to 85 mph are possible this weekend,with humidity in the single digits.Explosive fire growth is a distinct possibility,given the horrendous conditions in the region.
Update:In game 2 of the ALDS,Oakland evened the series to one game apiece by edging Detroit 1-0.The series now moves to Detroit for the third game on Monday.

Beaver Creek Wildfire Scorches Idaho

Country well known to the great American author Ernest Hemingway is being threatened by a massive wildfire this weekend.Extreme fire behavior is resulting in explosive growth of the Beaver Creek Fire northwest of Hailey on Sawtooth National Forest,Idaho.It was ignited by lightning about midnight on 7 August,and is mone of 10 uncontained wildfires of more than 100 acres burning in the area.*Firefighters are building containment lines along the perimeter where safety permits;where it does not,air support is being called in.Presently,698 personnel and 14 helicopters are assigned to the 64,236 acre fire,but this number will be swelling over the weekend as more hand crews,engines and support personnel arrive.Beth Lund is incident commander.*The fuels invloved are grass,sagebrush,riparian areas and timber.The fire is characterized by extreme fire behavior with active surface runs and crown fire.Multiple subdivisions have been evacuated on both sides of Highway 75 between Hailey and Ketchum.The growth potential is extreme in the highly difficult terrain.One home has been lost,along with a bunkhouse and five other structures.There have been a few minor injuries to firefighters.The bridge connecting Ketchum and Fairfield on Forest Service road 227 has been destroyed.*The head of the fire produced a massive pyrocumulous column.Fire whorls,torching trees and crown fire were visible from Hailey and the Highway 75 corridor to Ketchum.Pre-evacuation warnings have been issued for Sun Valley and Ketchum.Spot fires from flaming embers thrown off the main body of the fire are starting up to a mile away.*Sawtooth National Forest is about 2,000,000 acres in size.It contains the Sawtooth Wilderness Area with 50 jagged peaks of more than 10,000 feet in height.They are high granitic peaks with narrow glacial valleys and nearly 400 alpine lakes.Alpine wildflowers bloom in July and August in the high meadows.*An American Red Cross shelter has been set up at the Hailey Community Campus for persons displaced by the fire.Area residents should prepare now to evacuate.If you are in danger,do not wait for an evacuation order.*Update:The Beaver Creek Fire has grown to 92,754 acres and is 9% contained.There has been extreme fire behavior on Saturday with active surface runs and long range crown fire through drought-stressed fuels.The growth potential is extreme with the temperature at 90F at 6pm with 8% humidity,winds at 7-15 mph with SW gusts to 30.Assets deployed include DC10s;single engine air tankers;heavy,medium and light helicopters;bulldozers;Hot Shot crews;20 person hand crews;engine crews;equipment operators;and fire managers.There are extensive mandatory evacuations and pre-evacuation warnings,the latter having been issued from Lake Creek south to hospital bridge,including Warm Springs and the cities of Ketchum and Sun Valley,plus Residents of Hailey west of River Street.

Massive Wildfire Closes Pacific Crest Trail

A huge wildfire on San Bernardino National Forest and adjacent lands in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County,California,has closed part of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and its connecting trail system.The Mountain Fire had grown steadily to 27,179 acres as of four hours ago.The blaze ignited at 1:45 pm Monday. Several communities have been evacuated,including Idyllwild,Fern Valley and Trails End.Local high schools are being used as American Red Cross evacuation centers for the 6,000 evacuees,and both their large and small animals are being sheltered in San Jacinto. A number of camps in the area and Forest Service campgrounds along Highway 243 have been closed,as well as San Jacinto State Park and National Forest Wilderness.The iconic Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Highway 74 north to Saddle Junction. The inferno is being battled by 3316 wildland firefighters with 263 engines,19 helicopers,10 fixed wing aircraft and 10 bulldozers.Humidity is only 12-15% in the remote chapparal and timber ecosystem. The fire's cause is under investigation.The affected area is roughly between Los Angeles and San Diego,just south of Palm Springs. Update:As of Saturday,progress had been made against the Mountain Fire,with containment of the fire at about 50%.Evacuations remain in force.Ten structures had been lost,including homes and mobile homes.The progress was partly attributed to pinpoint determination of drop zones by new digital technology in the tanker aircraft.

Crummy Weekend Weather:Extreme Heat Grips West

Extreme heat warnings and watches have been posted in several western states for the period through at least Monday.From West Texas north to Oregon and Idaho,and east to Colorado and New Mexico.the mercury is threatening to reach near record or record levels.
Death Valley,California,which owns the world record for heat at 134 degrees Fahrenheit,is expected to reach 129.Record highs may occur in such cities as Flagstaff,Arizona;Reno,Nevada;as well as Las Vegas.
Phoenix,Arizona may near 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Isolated storms with little rain,known as dry thunderstorms,may strike the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin,threatening wildfire outbreaks in those areas already hot and tinder dry.
The heat is being caused by a stubborn dome of high pressure,preventing cloud formation and rainfall.
Meanwhile,the East has been soaked by repeated thunderstorms in recent days,which may extend well into next week.Tropical air has parked itself over the region,threatening flash flooding in many locales.
Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are distinct possibilities in areas under heat warnings and watches,possibly with fatal consequences.Cooling centers are being set up in these communities.

Frost Leads Toshiba Classic;Early Wildfire Scorches Colorado

South African David Frost shot an excellent,bogey-free eight under par 63 Friday to top the leader board at the Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club,California.Second in the Champions Tour event was the ever-popular Fred Couples,who has 15 career wins on the PGA Tour,with his seven under par 64.Couples appears in several TV commercials.
German Bernhard Langer,who currently leads the Charles Schwab Cup race after three events,made a strong comeback after firing off two eagles,one of them at the eighteenth hole,to bring himself within three strokes of the lead with a four under par 67.
I played well at the end of last year-solid golf,Langer said.Today was a continuation of that-plus I had a bit of luck here and there as well.I just tried to judge the distance right at the eighteenth.
Tom Watson finished the first round at one under par.
A small early season wildfire is scorching an area of difficult terrain near Fort Collins,Colorado.About 40 residents of the Buckhorn Canyon area,which is some 13 miles west of Horsetooth Reservoir,were evacuated from the 25 acre blaze in 50 mile an hour winds.No injuries were reported.
Meanwhile,another wildfire broke out near Peyton,northwest of Colorado Springs.Residents there were advised to evacuate as well,but the fire was 75% contained,the Colorado Springs Gazette said.
Arizona officials are concerned that the cold,wet winter has resulted in overgrown grasses that will ignite in the hot,dry summer ahead.There could be a bad fire season from April-June,The Weather Channel reported.
Toshiba Corp.(TOSBF)

Good Views of Moon and Jupiter;Light Snow Cover at Glacier National Park

The waning moon hung low in the eastern sky,with Jupiter brilliant just above it as I stepped out for some air about 11 pm Friday night.It was an impressive view of some everyday heavenly bodies,rather than something rare.Just the way they were arranged in the night sky made them worthy of admiration.
Some people out West were able to admire light snow this week.Glacier National Park,Montana had snow from Tuesday into Wednesday.By Friday night it was 24 F with 2-4 inches of snow cover at about 4500 ft. in East Glacier Park.The wind chill was 19F.
Fire danger at Glacier is moderate,with the Avalanche Fire being 122 acres in size.Smoke and haze are also drifting in from fires outside the park.
Fall color is near peak on aspens,birches and cottonwoods.Bears are foraging up to 20 hours a day in autumn.Please do not draw near to bears or other wildlife in Glacier or other parks.They may react unpredictably.View them with binoculars or spotting scopes instead.
The popular park is on the Canadian border.
Light snow was also dusting parts of  Midwestern states North Dakota,Wisconsin and Minnesota Friday night, as well as the Front Range of the Rockies.

New Mexico Fire Sears Gila National Forest

New Mexico's Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire had grown to 217,988 acres as of 6 hours ago.The fire began as a result of a lightning strike on May 16.It is burning east of Route 180 on Gila National Forest,which contains about 3.3 million acres.The wildland fire has destroyed 12 homes and several outbuildings.The community of Mogollon remains under mandatory evacuation.Some 1257 personnel are engaged in firefighting at this time,including 15 hotshot crews and 12 hand crews,utilizing 60 engines;27 water tenders;7 dozers;and 10 helicopters.The largest fire in the state's history,it covers steep stands of ponderosa pine and formidable canyons,consuming mixed conifers and grass with heavy concentrations of deadfall as well.Growth potential is high on the extremely difficult terrain.Wildlife such as elk,mule deer,bear and antelope are abundant in the national forest's Reserve Ranger District,where much of the fire is located.It is an isolated mountainous area in Southwest New Mexico.Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument has been closed by the incident,as have the Catwalk Area and Snow Lake/Dripping Vat Campground.Smoke impacts are likely in Mogollon,Glenwood and Silver City,so heart and lung patients,as well as children and the elderly,should avoid prolonged activity in the out of doors.Tony Sciacca is Incident Commander.Some New Deal era Historic Landmarks,some old fire lookout cabins,are being protected by the wildland firefighters.New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez visited the Incident Command Post on Thursday and was briefed by staff on the situation.The very low humidity of 5% is ensuring quite a struggle ahead for all concerned for a number of days and indeed weeks.The forest is world famous among hunters. Update:The fire has grown to 227,000 acres.Wildland firefighters are now utilizing 64 engines and 28 water tenders.Heli-rappelers have also been brought in.They are a specialized resource for early stage remote fires,rappeling from helicopters to extinguish fires or gather reconnaissance on challenging terrain.

Gladiator Fire Threatens Arizona Towns

The Gladiator Fire is frightening small communities near Prescott National Forest between Prescott and Phoenix,Arizona.The historic mountaintop mining town of Crown King,as well as Battle Flat,Pine Flats and Turkey Creek have been evacuated.Four homes were burned and there have been four injuries reported.The fire began on May 13 at 11 am,originating from a structure on private property.Fuels being consumed include chapparal and ponderosa pine.Threats are posed to Forest Service campgrounds;lookout towers;communications sites;power lines;and historic sites on Prescott National Forest.The fire is on steep and rugged terrain that is difficult of access.Some 640 wildland firefighters were engaged against the fire as of Friday from 14 states,including New Jersey,Texas and California.It has cost around 2,788,553 dollars so far.Several Forest Service roads are closed,and the Red Cross has established a Care and Reception Center at Mayer Elementary School.The five p's of immediate evacuation are people and pets;papers;prescriptions;pictures;and personal computer.The fire is 5% contained and is now believed to be more than 10,000 acres in size,according to a local TV station.It is the number one priority fire in the nation.As winds gusted more than 50 mph,air tankers were grounded for most of the day Friday,but Type 1 helicopters were used to dump water on the fire as much as possible until 7:22 pm.Joe Reinarz is incident commander. Update:By Saturday morning,the Gladiator Fire had grown to 12,898 acres.It was 10% contained.The number of wildland firefighters involved had risen to 882. Update 2:As of late Saturday night Mountain Time,1048 wildland firefighters had gotten the Gladiator Fire 12% contained.