The aggressive wildfires burning through drought-parched terrainin Colorado and New Mexico are not yet contained, although bothstate and federal authorities are significantly ramping up effortstoday to combat the growing blazes.

Today an estimated 600 firefighters will tackle the High Park,Colo. fire that has swelled to more than 43,000 acres and claimedthe life of a 62-year-old woman. Within a day of being reported,the Colo. blaze had already grown 22 square miles and damaged 18structures. As the fire edges closer to Fort Collins, authoritiesare calling for additional U.S. aerial firefighting fleets,insisting the situation is “dire.”

Hundreds of residents have been evacuated, and at last report, aspokesman for the U.S. Forest Service said Colorado was using fiveof 13 air tankers available nationally, while helicopters have beenemployed to siphon water from a reservoir and then deposit it onnearby homes precariously close to the flames.

Wyoming diverted resources from two fires there to help with a64-square-mile wildfire in northern Colorado. Additionally, Canadalent two aerial bombers to fight the Colorado blaze following therecent crash of a U.S. tanker in Utah.

While it is evident that more aerial firefighting resources areurgently needed, it can take 36 hours to mobilize the crews andplanes, according to officials.

Meanwhile, firefighters in New Mexico obtained ground support tobattle a fast-moving wildfire that charred tens of thousands ofacres and forced hundreds of residents from their homes in thesouthern part of the state.

At present, at least 18 large wildfires are burning in nine U.S.states with 4,000 of 15,000 federal firefighters currentlydeployed, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Progress against the largest wildfire in New Mexico history hasbeen slow. The blaze, which has charred 435 square miles of forestsince it was sparked by lightning in mid-May, was 37-percentcontained on June 11, 2012.