A forest fire in New Jersey threatened to become the state’s largest in nearly two decades as dry conditions gripped the region and crews from surrounding areas joined in to fight the blaze.

The fire grew to 12,000 acres (4,856 hectares) in Ocean County, about 90 miles south of New York City, by Wednesday afternoon, according to state officials. The blaze was 35% contained along its perimeter, which officials said is expected to expand over the next few days.