VIDEO/PHOTOS: Thousands of people who evacuated the area near the Swawilla Fire on Wednesday and Thursday are clinging to hope they will return to their homes once the flames die down.
As of 5 p.m. on July 25, the Swawilla Fire has burned over 30,000 acres of land on the Colville Indian Reservation, two-and-a-half hours west of Spokane and northwest of Grand Coulee Dam.
Many families were told to evacuate their homes on Wednesday night.
Alison Boyd-Ball, Tribal Government Chair & Health and Human Services Chair packed up her valuables and left her home after receiving the evacuation notice.
"It's when you get out of the situation you realize the stress and anxiety you carry in your body," said Boyd-Ball.
Over the last few days, Boyd-Ball said she could see the Swawilla Fire smoke growing close to her home.