Air Support Operations Squadron train in Idaho Sawtooth National Forest

Air Support Operations Squadron train in Idaho Sawtooth National Forest, a photo by 124 Fighter Wing on Flickr.

Air Support Operations Squadron train in Idaho Sawtooth National Forest

Air Support Operations Squadron train in Idaho Sawtooth National Forest, a photo by 124 Fighter Wing on Flickr.

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.

Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk, a photo by bacbrown on Flickr.

Jim Furyk leads the PGA Championship after the third round.

Oak Hill Golf;Perseid Meteor Shower

His nondescript appearance and deadpan manner make him a target for the Hollywood types on television,but Jason Dufner proved his high degree of competence in golf on Friday when he seized the top of the leader board at the PGA Championship in Pittsford,New York,near Rochester.The beautifully forested Oak Hill Country Club saw Dufner tie the record for lowest score in a major championship with his brilliant nine under par 63.Dufner,who is well-regarded by his peers,stood out even in the strongest field in golf,with 99 of the top 100 players in the world vying for the tournament's Wanamaker trophy,seven of them Scotsmen.*The history of the game is dear to my heart,Dufner said,and it's really neat to be part of it.You'd never think a guy from Northeast Ohio would accomplish these things.*1.Jason Dufner,USA,-9 2.Matt Kuchar,USA,-7;Adam Scott,AUS,-7;Jim Furyk,USA,-7 5.Henrik Stenson,SWE,-6;Justin Rose,ENG,-6 7.Robert Garrigus,USA,-5;Steve Stricker,USA,-5 9.Charley Hoffman,USA,-4;Marcus Fraser,AUS,-4.*The Perseid meteor shower will illuminate the night sky from August 11-13,NASA said.The best meteor display of the year may be best seen between 1am and dawn,with meteors streaking across the heavens at the rate of about 70 an hour at the peak of 11-12 August.They are bright because of their relatively large size of around a centimeter across and speed of almost 134,000 kilometers an hour.The debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle,the annual event is about as bright as the Ursa Major constellation's stars,and is better seen outside of urban areas.*Update:Veteran golfer Jim Furyk,who won the US Open in 2003,took over top spot on the leader board of the PGA Championship with his -9 in Saturday's third round at Oak Hill Country Club.Jason Dufner slipped to a close second at -8.The greens were starting to dry out and there was a breeze,making the course more difficult to manage-a trend that may only be accentuated by another dry,sunny day on Sunday.There were a lot more bogies amid the huge white oaks of the densely wooded course,as the cheers of thousands of fans livened things up for Furyk and Dufner.TV ratings must have been hurt,though,by the fact that both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson,the world numbers one and two,dropped out of contention with their multiple bogies.*It's totally unrealistic for the media to expect Mickelson to win a second major after his back to back wins in Scotland.Psychologically,that is extremely unlikely.There's a natural comedown after all that glory.As for Woods,he has apparently still not fully recovered mentally from his personal problems,not having won a major for five years now.

02/08/2013 Ladies European Tour. Ricoh Womens British Open, The Old Course, St Andrews Fife, Scotland, 1-4 August. Na Yeon Choi of Korea during the second round. Credit: Tristan Jones

02/08/2013 Ladies European Tour. Ricoh Womens British Open, The Old Course, St Andrews Fife, Scotland, 1-4 August. Na Yeon Choi of Korea during the second round. Credit: Tristan Jones, a photo by Ladies European Tour on Flickr.

Na Yeon Choi was the leader after the second round.

Bridgestone and St.Andrews Golf

The complex world of professional golf offers a panorama of tournaments,global locations and series for the avid fan to follow this weekend.In the US,Tiger Woods was totally dominant in the second round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at the Firestone Country Club in Akron,Ohio Friday.Woods matched his PGA Tour career best and the course record with his superb 13 under par 61.I had it going today,Woods said.The weather's coming in tomorrow.We're gonna have to make a few adjustments.We'll see how it goes.The top three:1.Tiger Woods(USA)-13 2.Keegan Bradley(USA)-6;Chris Wood(ENG)-6*The women's pro golf scene is underappreciated.It's not boring to watch.At The Women's Open Championship on The Old Course at St.Andrews,Scotland,the typically unflappable Na Yeon Choi was unfazed by brisk winds that barreled into the afternoon session,topping the leader board with her crisp 10 under par 67.Not content with one complete success,Miki Saiki hammered down second place with two eagles.The top three:1.Na Yeon Choi(ROK)-10 2.Miki Saiki(JAP)-9 3.Morgan Pressel(USA)-8*Bernhard Langer is playing in his native Germany this weekend.At the European Senior Tour Berenberg Masters,Golf-und Land-Club,Koln,Refrath,Germany,the top 3:1.Turner,Greg(NZL)-7 2.Lane,Barry(ENG)-5;Langer,Bernhard(GER)-5;Woosnam,Ian(WAL)-5*The European Senior Tour Order of Merit top three:1.Bernhard Langer(GER) 2.Peter Senior(AUS) 3.Paul Wesselingh(ENG).*Langer is also pursuing his second Charles Schwab Cup,the overall trophy for senior pro golfers in the US.The PGA Champions Tour Charles Schwab Cup Standings:1.Kenny Perry(USA)2508 2.Bernhard Langer(GER)1713 3.David Frost(RSA)1613 *Update:Tiger Woods continued his brilliant campaign,topping the leader board at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with his 15 under par 68 in Saturday's third round.The third round of The Ricoh Women's British Open was suspended because of high winds,and will restart shortly.At the Berenberg Masters on the European Senior Tour,Steen Tinney(DEN)and Nick Job(ENG)are tied for first place at -6,while Bernhard Langer(GER)has dropped back to sixth with his -4.