ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A massive wildfire has swept through Turkey’s coastal Izmir province, with firefighting crews struggling to contain the blaze as strong winds hinder their efforts, resulting in the closure of the region's main airport and evacuations.

“The Izmir fire has spread to homes. So far, 160 houses have burned, and many residents have evacuated,” a source from the Izmir municipality told The New Region on Monday.

Fanned by strong winds, the fire initially broke out in a forested area in Izmir province’s Seferihisar district.

“Our efforts across the province to fight the forest fires continue with determination,” Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban wrote on X.

Elban reports that more than 1,100 personnel, 120 fire trucks, and dozens of water tankers and other heavy machinery are engaged in battling the flames.

No fatalities have been reported, he adds.

Izmir's Adnan Menderes Airport has temporarily suspended its operations due to the wildfires, with air traffic to the airport being diverted and delayed.

Turkey has experienced around 30 fires since Sunday, according to Ibrahim Yumakli, the agriculture and forestry minister.

“Manisa Akhisar, Izmir Kuyucak, and Doganbey remain serious,” Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News quoted Yumakli as saying.

The agriculture minister also detailed that Turkey has been affected by over 1,400 fires since early June, with more than 560 occurring in forests.

In recent years, Turkey has faced a wave of forest fires, including the large Manavgat wildfire that lasted two weeks in July 2021.