CNN iReporter Bryan Maltais of Fort Collins, Colorado, took this picture of the Colorado fire from the cliffs above Horsetooth Reservoir in Larimer County. He started documenting the situation on June 10. "Many people I know have been brought to tears for the people who have lost their homes, and for the destruction of so much forest," he said.
Editor's note: Have you been affected by the wildfires? Share your photos, video with CNN iReport.
(CNN) -- Firefighters in northern Colorado made progress battling a raging wildfire in the hills west of Fort Collins on Monday despite high temperatures, low relative humidity and gusty winds that whipped up the blaze.
The High Park Fire had consumed more than 58,700 acres of woodland by Monday evening, but it was about 50% contained Monday night, authorities reported. Residents of some homes on the east side of the fire were allowed to return home, but people from several other neighborhoods remained under mandatory evacuation orders.
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.
National forecast and wildfire update
Pictures of a raging wildfire
'Out of control' fire threatens homes
The 9-day-old fire has destroyed more than 180 homes, and that number is expected to grow. Firefighters are also concerned that the blaze could shift toward dense stands of trees that have been killed by beetle infestations, according to InciWeb, a U.S. multiagency fire response website.
"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.
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 sparked the mammoth blaze.
Elsewhere in Colorado, firefighters are battling a fire near Pagosa Springs that broke out last month. That blaze, also blamed on lightning, had grown to more than 13,000 acres by Monday night and was 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 Fire 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.
CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report.
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Jessie Couillard watches the High Park Fire a few miles from her house in Glacier View Meadows, northwest of Fort Collins, on Monday, June 18. The lightning-ignited wildfire that started June 9 has destroyed nearly 200 homes.
The High Park Fire rages west of Fort Collins on Monday. The blaze has ravaged more than 58,700 acres but is about 50% contained, authorities say.
A truck offers a message for firefighters west of Fort Collins on Monday. More than 1,700 personnel are battling the wildfire.
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 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 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.
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