Authorities have evacuated homes in southern Turkey as a forest fire rages near populated areas.

       Strong winds have fanned the fire near the Mediterranean coastal town of Manavgat on Wednesday, ravaging houses in the Kalemler district.

       Three people have been hospitalised with burns, one of them in serious condition.

       Turkish Security forces have helped move residents of four neighbourhoods out of the fire’s path as firefighters work to control the blaze. Hundreds of forestry workers, assisted by helicopters, are also working to tackle the flames.

       Manavgat district governor Mustafa Yigit told the state-run Anadolu Agency that hospitals in Antalya province had been placed on alert.

       But Yigit denied reports that patients at a Manavgat hospital were being transferred, and added that tourist beach resorts were not affected.

       The fire has destroyed several homes in Kalemler district.Arif Kaplan/IHA via AP

       Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said around 30 people were "affected" by the fire, without giving further details.

       The cause of the forest fire was not immediately clear.

       Wildfires are common in Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean regions during the arid summer months, although some forest fires have been blamed on arson.