Horror moment Turkey holiday destination consumed by flames

Shocking footage caught the moment wildfire flames ripped through a popular holiday hotspot with the massive blaze being battled by more than 800 firefighters.

Holidaymakers in the Alanya district of Antalya, Turkey, have been forced to evacuate their hotels amid the infernos. Shocking videos posted on social media showed terrifying blazes ripping through forested areas meters away from a restaurant, and possibly a holiday resort, as people looked on, and recorded on their phones, while in disbelief.

A wildfire started in the Kundu area, near Antalya, on Saturday evening, where a string of hotels popular with tourists are located.

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Strong winds then picked up the blaze and spread it further into the neighbouring areas of Mugla and Aydin, local firefighters confirmed. A huge emergency response was launched in a desperate attempt to contain the flames.

More than 800 firefighters, 20 helicopters and 14 other aircrafts were among the mission to put out the shocking wildfires.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country faced "a truly great disaster" after more than 25,000 people took part in the emergency effort.

Alanya Deputy Mayor Murat Levent Koçak said the fire spread quickly due to strong winds as he warned people that the blaze was approaching populated parts of the region, according to local news sites. He assured residents that emergency services were quickly working to put out the inferno.

Raging wildfires have ripped through Turkey forcing thousands of tourists and locals to flee throughout this summer. More than 1,500 people were forced to flee from Bursa - a favourite for holidaying Brits - in July when the area became surrounded by flames.

Bursa governor’s office, at the time, said that 1,765 people were safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,100 firefighters battled the flames. The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned.

Dozens of severe wildfires have ripped through Turkey since June in a sight becoming worryingly common each summer. Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds have been fuelling the wildfires.

Other nearby countries also battled with devastating wildfires this summer, including Greece and Bulgaria. Parts of Athens were evacuated this summer after more than 50 wildfires broke out in 24 hours, in July.

Bulgaria's government was forced to ask EU partners for help after fires broke out on the southern borders with Greece and Turkey, as well as the western Serbian frontier.