Homes evacuated amid deadly wildfires in southern Turkey

Turkish authorities evacuated homes in four neighbourhoods on Wednesday as a wildfire, fanned by strong winds, raged through a forest area near the Mediterranean coastal town of Manavgat in the south of the country. A total of 19 water-dropping helicopters and more than 30 fire fighting trucks were involved in an effort to battle the blaze, which broke out in the region some 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of the city of Antalya.

In an interview with HaberTurk television Mayor Muhittin Bocek said residents in the affected areas were evacuated to safety. Private NTV television reported that patients at a state hospital in Manavgat were being evacuated to another hospital as a precaution.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries. While it was not immediately clear what caused the fire, wildfires are common in Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months, although some forest fires have been blamed on arson.