New fast-growing fire breaks out near Los Angeles

A new fast-moving wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles County, prompting evacuations in a region already recovering from the most destructive fires in its history.

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

The out-of-control fire has grown to more than 5,000 acres in just two hours driven by strong winds. No homes or businesses have been damaged.

The new fire is burning north of the two massive fires, still raging, that destroyed several neighborhoods in Los Angeles County earlier this month.

Two other fires have started further south, near San Diego and Oceanside, officials said.

Both are smaller — 85 acres for the Lilac Fire near Oceanside and 3.9 acres for the Bernardo Fire — but were burning in populated areas. Fire crews appeared to have both fires under control and evacuation orders had mostly been lifted and progress had stopped.

In Los Angeles County, local news showed those near the Hughes Fire dousing their homes and yards with water and others rushing to evacuate neighborhoods.

Orange flames lined the mountains as plane dropped water and flame retardant.

The region is once again under a red flag alert, which warns of a high fire risk due to strong winds and dry, low humidity conditions.

Winds in the area are blowing between 20 and 30 mph, but are forecast to strengthen throughout the day, which could allow the fire to grow and make it difficult for aircrews to continue their battle from above.

A woman who evacuated her home told NBC 4 that she was stuck on Interstate 5, a major highway that runs through the area and runs north to south through California.

“It looked like a cloud, but as you got closer, it looked like we were heading towards hell,” he said of the dark smoke and red flames he saw. “To be honest, it was pretty scary.”

She admitted to being nervous after watching the Palisades and Eaton fires burn nearby, killing at least 28 people and decimating more than 10,000 homes and businesses.

“I don’t know why they keep showing up,” he said. “It’s definitely a scary time in this area.”