Weather conditions are improving Wednesday as firefighters continue to battle a still-growing wildfire that’s burned more than 12,000 acres in southern New Jersey since it ignited on Tuesday, prompted more than 3,

Thousands of New Jersey residents have been evacuated as the Jones Road Wildfire along the East Coast grows to 12,000 acres, authorities said. It was 35% contained by Wednesday afternoon.

A fast-moving wildfire was burning in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, but officials on Wednesday lifted earlier evacuation orders and reopened a stretch of a major highway that had been closed due to the blaze.