2 SMALL BLAZES CLOG TRAFFIC ON FREEWAY.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Service

Teams of firefighters were diverted briefly Thursday from the huge Castaic fire to douse two small blazes burning in populated areas along the Golden State Freeway.

A five-acre grass fire in the Newhall Pass was reported about 1 p.m. It threatened some homes and caused a huge backup on the northbound interstate. Two lanes of the freeway were closed till 4 p.m.

The fire burned west of the freeway near Weldon Canyon Road and was doused about an hour later, county fire spokesman Henry Rodriguez said.

No one was injured and no structures were damaged, said county Firefighter Dave Crall. The cause had not been determined.

Two northbound freeway lanes were blocked by firefighting equipment, said California Highway Patrol Officer Ken Lane.

The Old Road, which parallels the freeway and conceivably could have provided an alternate route, was closed to everyone but area residents, Lane said.

The flames were about 15 miles south of the Castaic blaze that has charred about 20,000 acres of brush and other vegetation since it was set Monday just after noon.

Twenty minutes later a spark from a Caltrans lawn mower set off a one-acre blaze near the freeway at state Highway 126. That was quickly extinguished, and firefighters called from the Castaic fire returned.

The U.S. Forest Service, fearing another blaze as devastating as the Castaic fire, has listed precautions for anybody using forest land. Forest users are urged to avoid parking near grassy areas and to use concrete or cleared dirt parking lots.

Smoking and campfires are restricted to designated camp areas. Rangers have cautioned that forest recreation areas will be closed to the public if users are not following the precautions.