Turkish wildfire leaves charred home and ashes, as blazes spread

Several houses, near Turkey's coastal Mediterranean town of Manavgat, have been completely destroyed after some of the worst fires in years tore through the region, with many still burning four days after they erupted on Wednesday.

Officials say sweltering heat and strong winds fanned the flames further. "The blaze spread through the highlands and raged suddenly," Mehmet Demir, a resident, told Reuters. "We had to flee to the centre of Manavgat. Then we came back to find the house like this."

"This was our (only) saving for the past 39-40 years. We are now left with the clothes we are wearing, me and my wife. There is nothing to do. This is when words fail."

The death toll from the fires rose to six on Saturday, as two firefighters died during efforts to control the fire in Manavgat, officials said, as thousands of people were evacuated from their homes.

Smoke from the fires in Antalya and Mersin extended to the island of Cyprus, around 150 km away, satellite imagery showed.

A new blaze erupted on Saturday in the popular holiday resort of Bodrum on the Aegean coast and some residential areas and hotels were evacuated, according to broadcasters.

Video footage showed plumes of smoke rising from mountains above Bodrum and a helicopter discharging water as firefighters tried to control the blaze before it reaches residential areas.

According to Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli, a total of 101 fires had broken out in the past four days, of which 91 were under control.

Fires continued in southern coastal provinces of Antalya, Mersin and the western coastal province of Mugla, including the one in Bodrum and central province of Usak, Pakdemirli said.

Turkish meteorological authorities said forecasts pointed to heatwaves along the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal regions, with temperatures set to touch between 43 and 47 Celsius in Antalya next week.

President Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to Manavgat on Saturday all damaged houses would be rebuilt and losses compensated, adding that Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine and Iran have sent firefighting planes and support teams to the affected areas.

In neighbouring Greece, authorities warned the public against unnecessary work and travel on Friday as temperatures hit 40 C in Athens and the ancient Acropolis, its most visited monument, was briefly forced to close.