The fire in the Pine Barrens led to the evacuation of 5,000 residents and temporarily shut down a stretch of the Garden State Parkway.

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.

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,