A new, fast-moving wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles County, triggering evacuations in a region already suffering from some of the most destructive fires in history.

The Hughes Fire ignited Wednesday afternoon north of the city, near Castaic Lake, in a mountainous area bordering several residential areas and schools.

Driven by strong winds, the out-of-control fire grew to more than 5,000 acres in just two hours. No homes or businesses were damaged.

The new fire is burning north of two fires that are still burning and devastated communities in Los Angeles County earlier this month.

Two other fires were burning in the southern area near San Diego and Oceanside, officials said.

They are both smaller — the Lilac Fire near Oceanside is 85 acres and the Bernardo Fire is 3.9 acres — but both burn in densely populated areas. Firefighters appear to have both blazes under control, evacuation orders have mostly been lifted and advances have been halted.

In Los Angeles County, local news showed people near the Hughes Fire hosing down their homes and yards with water and others rushing to evacuate the community.

Orange flames line the mountain Water and flame retardants dropped from airplanes.

A red flag warning has been issued again for the area, warning of high fire risk due to strong winds and dry, low-humidity conditions.

Winds in the area were around 20 to 30 mph, but winds were expected to increase throughout the day, which could spread the fire and make it more difficult for crews to stay in the air.

Ed Fletcher of Cal Fire, California’s statewide firefighting agency, told the BBC that the fire was different from those earlier this month. He said the winds were not that strong yet and many crews were working to extinguish the flames.

“It was very dry and we knew the winds were going to pick up later on,” he said. “We’ll know more in a few hours.”

Mr. Fletcher noted that the area is not heavily populated and that current winds are blowing the fire toward Castaic Lake, which serves as a buffer between the Castaic area, which has about 20,000 residents.

“If it jumped over the lake,” he said, “it would make things more dynamic.”

A woman who was evacuated from her home told NBC 4 she was stuck on Interstate 5, California’s main transportation highway that runs through the state. Parts of the interstate are closed in the area because of the fire.

“It looked like a cloud, but when you got closer, it looked like we were driving into hell,” she said of the black smoke and red flames she saw. “Honestly, it’s just horrible.”

She admitted she was nervous after watching the nearby Palisades and Eaton fires, which killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and businesses.

“I don’t know why they keep coming up,” she said. “This is definitely a scary time for this area.”