Raging Western Wildfires in Photos

Firefighters morning briefing

Firefighters gather for a morning briefing to beat back the blazes near Fort Collins, Colo., in this undated June, 2012, photo.

Filling Up To Fight Fire

A firefighting K-MAX helicopter fills its bucket from a pond on June 8, 2012 near Durango, Colo.

Little Sand Fire #1

Fire activity builds in the Sand Creek drainage. — (Image credit: U.S. Forest Service)

Fire builds in a valley near Sand Creek, on June 18, 2012.

Little Sand Fire

Another look at the Little Sand Fire near Durango, Colo. on June 20, 2012.

Blazing tree

A tree gets torched in the High Park Fire near Fort Collins, Colo. in this undated photo from June, 2012.

Smoke Above Little Sand

Smoke rises high above the Little Sand fire in this undated June, 2012, photo.

Planning the next move

Firefighters discuss their approach to tackling the High Park Fire on June 9, 2012.

The plume from way up

View of a smoke plume from a commercial airliner on June 8, 2012.

Removing the heat

Firefighters turn over a burning log to dissipate heat, while fighting the Little Sand fire on May 28, 2012.

Backing fires

Backing fires in the south rim of the Piedra River, which were set to remove undergrowth in a controlled manner and hopefully stop the wildfire, once it arrives. Taken May 28, 2012, near the Little Sand fire.

The fire this time

The High Park Fire burning — (Image credit: U.S. Forest Service)

The High Park Fire Burns on June 10. It's been the costliest fire in Colorado history. It has already cost more than $31.5 million to put the fires out, and 2.2 million gallons (8.3 million liters) of water have been dropped on the fire, according to InciWeb.