Hundreds of volunteers have joined efforts to contain wildfires that have swept through forests in Turkey's southern and southwestern coasts, fuelled by a summer heatwave, low humidity and strong winds.

The blazes, described as Turkey's worst in living memory, have so far killed eight people, including a volunteer who was carrying drinking water and other refreshments to firefighters in Marmaris.

The fires have also killed countless animals, destroyed acres of forests near the country's favourite tourist destinations, and forced thousands of evacuations.

Farmlands have also been ravaged, leaving many in the region concerned about their livelihood.

Volunteers Huseyin Kocatepe and Mehmet Acun left from the city of Izmir with their own water tanker to aid the cooling efforts at Milas in Mugla province, one of the worst hit areas during the wildfires.

It's not unusual for people in Turkey to mobilise during times of crisis, such as earthquakes.

Many jump into cars to head to the afflicted regions, taking food, water, clothing or blankets.

However, on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said authorities would no longer allow people other than those authorised to fight blazes to approach the fires.

Turkey's most famous search-and-rescue team, AKUT, is made up of trained volunteers.

The group was founded in the 1990s by mountaineers who were frustrated by a failed mountain rescue operation by the authorities.

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