Turkey travel chaos as airport shuts down due to raging wildfires ripping through hols hotspot with hundreds evacuated

TRAVEL chaos erupted in a Turkish holiday hotspot after raging wildfires blazed across the region, sparking mass evacuations and forcing a main airport to temporarily close.

The terrifying inferno ripped through the tourist resort of Foça, İzmir, before it was fanned by strong winds and tore through neighbourhoods.

One suspect has been arrested and accused of starting the fire with gasoline by allegedly setting his own house alight.

Tukrey's Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said the resident was accused of "causing a forest fire intentionally".

Chilling images showed the extent of the fires which ravaged local communities and engulfed forests in flames.

Adnan Menderes Airport was forced to temporarily close due to the raging wildfires.

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Extinguishing efforts prevented jets from taking off or landing at the airport on Sunday.

Flights scheduled to land at Adnan, which serves the popular holiday hotspot Izmir, were reportedly diverted amid the travel mayhem - with services only just returning to normal.

And hundreds were left stranded following the major disruption.

According to the airport's website, flights scheduled to depart on Sunday night will finally be taking off today.

One flight headed for London Stanstead endured a 20-hour delay.

Planes were seen dumping large supplies of water over fiery infernos in order to combat the blazes.

And local residents watched in horror as their homes were torched up and forestry continued to burn.

Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the flames.

Brave firefighters spent hours fighting the vicious blaze across İzmir.

The lengthy operation reportedly involved 625 personnel, six helicopters, 46 fire engines, 9 bulldozers, and 13 water supply vehicles.

Hundreds were evacuated form their houses - with 550 residents forced out of some 175 homes in Ilıpınar, Foça.

Four firefighters were also affected by smoke poisoning, two of whom were hospitalised.

The exact cause of the fire is currently unknown.

But preliminary findings suggest the inferno may have been caused by a high-voltage power line.

The governor of the province, Süleyman Elban, cautioned the population to exercise extreme caution in the next few days.

He said low humidity and high temperatures would aggravate the risk of more fires.

The governor said: "We expect the next four or five days to be very hot, with strong winds and low humidity. These conditions are perfect for a fire.

"Everyone's life is at stake. We must all be extremely cautious."

Wildfires were also reported in Kahramanmaraş, Bursa, Sakarya, Bilecik, Gaziantep, Bolu and Manisa this week.

Environment Minister Murat Kurum said in Bilecik, 23 houses and 47 units in 3 villages were destroyed in the forest fires, whilst 41 houses and 25 barns and warehouses were severely damaged.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, said: "Nine major fires broke out in İzmir, Denizli, Aydın and Manisa.

"The fire in Manisa started again due to wind.

"Four villages and two neighbourhoods were evacuated due to the fire."