20-acre brush fire near Castaic snarls traffic on 5 Freeway

Northbound rush-hour traffic on the 5 Freeway near Templin Highway was slowing down Tuesday after two lanes were closed because of a brush fire that had burned about 20 acres, officials said.

The blaze was apparently sparked shortly before 3:30 p.m after a big-rig caught fire on the busy artery north of Castaic, the California Highway Patrol said.

Flames were burning north and east into the Angeles National Forest, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

More than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze on the ground. Five helicopters were fighting the flames from the air, but crews on the ground reported that water drops were hampered by power lines in the area.

No structures were threatened, officials said, and no injuries were reported.

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— Robert J. Lopez

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Image: Map shows approximate location of a fire in the Antelope Valley. Source: Google Maps