Milpitas brush fire threatens to grow

A 200-acre brush fire burning near Ed R. Levin County Park in Milpitas is 25 percent contained but has the potential to more than double in size, according to fire authorities.

Six air tankers have been ordered, and the fire in the hills between Milpitas and Fremont has the potential to grow to 500 acres, Cal Fire Assistant Division Chief Jim Crawford said.

An outbuilding or barn may have been damaged but no homes are threatened, Crawford said. No evacuations are anticipated as a result of the fire, which started near Country Club Drive and North Park Victoria Road. Power lines are down.

Ed R. Levin County Park is located in the chaparral foothills of the Diablo Range east of the Santa Clara Valley. It is the largest park in Milpitas and a popular location for hang gliding.

Crews from the Milpitas, Spring Valley Volunteer and Fremont fire departments are also on the scene along with Cal Fire. Crawford couldn’t confirm social media reports that hikers had been rescued.