Firefighters largely brought a major wildfire in northwest Turkey under control on Tuesday, the country's forestry minister announced, a day after the blaze prompted hundreds of evacuations and led to the suspension of maritime traffic.

The blaze broke out at an agricultural land in Canakkale province on Monday. Fanned by strong winds, it rapidly spread to a forested area then to a residential area.

It forced the evacuation of 2,000 residents - some on boats by sea - and led to 77 hospitalizations due to smoke exposure, officials said.

The Dardanelles Strait - linking the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara - was briefly closed for safety.

Several holiday homes and cars were left charred, HaberTurk news channel reported.

The wildfires also burned through large swathes of land, leaving behind charred remains of vegetation.

Firefighters were meanwhile still battling two other wildfires in Manisa and Izmir provinces, in western Turkey, while three other fires that broke out elsewhere in the region were fully extinguished, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on the X social media platform.

Turkey has faced widespread outbreaks of wildfires since late June, with 17 people killed, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers who died last month battling a blaze in the province of Eskisehir.

AP video shot by Cavit Ozgul

Production by Ayse Wietling