Smoke from the High Park Fire rises above the Colorado National Guard Readiness Center near Fort Collins on Sunday, June 17.
A view of the High Park and its large plume of smoke from Fort Collins on Wednesday, June 13.
Pat Wright hugs daughter Stephanie Lauger after finding out Wednesday the High Park Fire hasn't destroyed her house. She will be able to return home three days after evacuating.
A large smoke plume rises from the High Park Fire west of Fort Collins on Wednesday. 
Steve Segin of the U.S. Forest Service shows a map of the size and location of the northern Colorado blaze Tuesday, June 12, in Laporte, Colorado. 
Residents watch the approaching fire Tuesday in the Roosevelt National Forest west of Fort Collins.
iReporter Victor W. Schendel, a Fort Collins photographer, has been watching the fast-moving wildfire grow and took this photo Tuesday as firefighters attempted to control the blaze. 
Colorado's High Park Fire engulfs trees in flames near Fort Collins on Monday, June 11. 
A helicopter drops water on a hot spot burning close to homes on Monday near Laporte, Colorado.
Michelle Mellenthin and Chris Huizenga watch firefighting efforts Monday from a Jeep near Laporte.
Flames threaten houses on the eastern front of the High Park fire near Laporte on Sunday, June 10. 
Robby Wood, left, of Denver and his 16-year-old nephew, Jacob Wood, watch the thick smoke rise over a hill near Laporte.
The High Park Fire -- about 15 miles west of Fort Collins -- doubled in size overnight to 36,930 acres, or more than 57 square miles, authorities said Monday.
An orange-tinted sky looms over a small barn near Laporte on Sunday. 
The fire is behaving erratically, fueled by by strong winds, low humidity, high temperatures and dry brush, an official says. 
A firefighting helicopter surveys the High Park Fire for hot spots Sunday near Laporte as the wind-driven blaze spreads.
A satellite image from NASA shows a plume of smoke from the High Park Fire about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins on Saturday, June 9. 
The sprawling wildfire lights up the night sky Saturday in a photo from CNN iReporter Randy S. Macht taken in Louisville, Colorado, south of the blaze.
- NEW: A man is arrested for posing as a firefighter
- NEW: The High Park Fire has burned more than 58,000 acres, fire officials say
- More than 1,700 firefighters are battling the flames
- "It just feels really dire," a Colorado resident says
Editor's note: Have you been affected by the wildfires? Share your photos, video with
Firefighters in northern Colorado faced another round of nightmare conditions Monday as high temperatures, low relative humidity and gusty winds whipped a blaze near Fort Collins.
Five residential subdivisions in the western suburbs of Fort Collins were under mandatory evacuation orders as of Monday morning.
More than 1,700 personnel were battling the blaze. Michael Stillman Maher, 30, was not one of them, although he allegedly wanted people to think he was, officials said. A fire chief reported seeing the Denver man driving a truck with a stolen government license plate and carrying phony firefighter credentials in the fire area Sunday night, officials said.
Maher was arrested in a Fort Collins bar early Monday morning and charged with impersonating a firefighter and theft.
The High Park Fire has consumed more than 58,000 acres so far, fire authorities said. It is about 45% contained.
"It just feels really dire. It's scary," resident Lupe Sandoval told CNN affiliate KUSA TV. "You feel bad for everybody."
The National Weather Service rates the fire risk in six Western states on Monday as "critical." Red flag warnings are posted across 10 states, noting high winds, low humidity and warm temperatures.
Pictures of a raging wildfire
'Out of control' fire threatens homesThe High Park Fire, west of Fort Collins, has destroyed at least 181 homes, according to a statement posted on InciWeb, a U.S. multiagency fire response website.
"The assessment is still under way and this number will continue to grow," the statement said.
The blaze has moved through forests and neighborhoods, forcing thousands of evacuations and leaving a trail of destruction. It has claimed one life, a 62-year-old woman found dead in her burned home last week.
"It will be some time before this fire is out, but our challenge now is to make sure we do everything to contain the damage," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who oversees the Forest Service and toured the Colorado firefighting areas.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said a tree struck by lightning more than a week ago sparked the mammoth blaze.
Elsewhere in Colorado, firefighters are battling an 11,988-acre fire near Pagosa Springs that broke out last month. That blaze is 30% contained.
And a new fire broke out Sunday and quickly spread to 200 acres near Pueblo, forcing some evacuations of residents.
In New Mexico, the Whitewater Baldy complex has scorched more than 296,000 acres, the agriculture secretary said.
More than 3,200 fire personnel from across the United States are helping local departments battle the fire, which began on May 16. The blaze was 80% contained as of Sunday.
