Sandy Fire spreads in California

Hundreds of firefighters are battling the rapidly growing Sandy Fire in Ventura County, which has forced the evacuation of thousands of residents.

The blaze is threatening suburban neighborhoods and has raised concerns over its proximity to the defunct Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a contaminated nuclear reactor site.

Strong winds have hampered containment efforts, with at least a dozen other smaller wildfires sparking across Southern California in the past 24 hours.

Officials are investigating whether a shipwrecked boater on a nearby island may have accidentally started the fire.