Some evacuation orders have been lifted and roads reopened in parts of New Jersey, police said, after a wildfire that erupted Tuesday night burned more than 8,500 acres, painting the sky bright red.

The Jones Road wildfire in Ocean County was burning in or around Ocean, Lacey and Barnegat townships, three communities known for their beaches and seaside boardwalks, with a combined population of more than 64,000.

As of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, it was 10 percent contained, with more than 1,300 structures threatened and 3,000 residents evacuated, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and officials plan to provide an update later Wednesday morning.

By early Wednesday morning, the Lacey Township Police Department said evacuation orders had been lifted and residents were free to return home, with Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway reopened in both directions. “Use caution when traveling in the area as heavy smoke conditions remain in the area,” police said.

The Barnegat Police Department said it was monitoring progress of the fire, but the blaze had “moved out of our area” and firefighters were working to extinguish any remaining pockets. The town remains without power, it said in a statement on social media.

Earlier, authorities issued mandatory evacuations for several areas, including in the area of Route 9 in Lacey Township and the areas surrounding several roads of Ocean Township.

More than 25,000 households and businesses in the area remained without power in Ocean County as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to the tracking platform Poweroutage.us. Jersey Central Power and Light said in a statement that lines in and out of the Oyster Creek substation were “de-energized at the request of the Forest Fire Service” as of 6 p.m. Tuesday for the safety of crews battling the fire.

“Safety is our top priority and all restoration timing will be determined by the safety of firefighters, our crews and the public,” it said in a statement.

The region has been experiencing abnormally dry conditions that have developed since last fall, and no rain is forecast until Saturday.

Winds near the fire area shifted Tuesday night, causing the smoke plume to blow across portions of southern Ocean County in New Jersey. Despite low humidity values, winds on Wednesday aren’t forecast to be as strong as they were Tuesday, contributing to a lower fire weather risk overall.

“Don’t put wet clothing or bandanas over your mouth or nose,” the New Jersey Red Cross advised on social media. “Moist air causes more damage to airways than dry air at the same temperature.”

Last month, more than 2,300 acres were scorched in a wildfire in the state that prompted the evacuations of two campgrounds from Wharton State Forest.

In a post on social media, John Napolitani, the mayor of a separate Ocean Township in nearby Monmouth County, said he was “praying for our neighbors” in what he called a “very serious wild fire.”