Criminal investigation launched into Amplify Energy after oil spill off California coast

Officials are continuing to investigate what caused an underwater pipeline in the Pacific Ocean to leak hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil.

A criminal investigation has been launched into the energy company that runs the pipeline that leaked hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil off California's southern coast.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer authorized the criminal investigation into Amplify Energy on Thursday, Spitzer's office confirmed to ABC News. The investigation will be handled by the Orange County District Attorney's Office's environmental crimes unit.

Hundreds of people were participating in cleanups on a 30-mile stretch of beaches and marsh from from Huntington Beach to Dana Point, officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told reporters at a news conference Wednesday.

Crews in the air were identifying affected locations and alerting cleanup teams, said Captain Rebecca Ore of the Coast Guard's Long Beach branch. "Everybody here is absolutely committed to cleaning up our much-loved California beaches."