Crews battle scattered fires in Athens suburbs, helped by calmer winds and reinforcements

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Firefighters in Greece battled scattered fires on Tuesday in hopes of containing the remains of a major wildfire that burned into the northern suburbs of Athens, triggering multiple evacuations and leaving at least one person dead.

With strong winds that had fanned the flames on Sunday and Monday dying down overnight, the fire department said the fire no longer had any active, advancing fronts and firefighters focused on extinguishing hundreds of slow-burning areas. Reinforcements of water-dropping aircraft and firefighters were arriving from abroad after Greece requested assistance from Europe’s joint disaster response mechanism.

Dozens of homes and businesses were reported to have burned, although authorities did not yet have an exact number. Winds strengthened again Tuesday afternoon, but no new major flare-ups were reported.

The European Union's Copernicus Emergency Management Service, which provides mapping services for natural disasters using satellite images, said that by Monday the blaze had burned 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres, 85 square kilometers).

Helicopters, planes and hundreds of firefighters and vehicles were arriving from France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Serbia and Romania. Turkey's Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said two firefighting planes and one helicopter had taken off Tuesday morning headed to Greece.

"I wish all the best to our colleagues who work with the motto ‘Forests are the world’s common heritage,’” Yumakli posted on the social media platform X.

Relations between neighbors Greece and Turkey are frequently tense over territorial disputes, but they tend to put differences aside and send each other help when faced with natural disasters such as earthquakes and forest fires.

Several other Balkan countries also struggled with wildfires. Water-dropping planes and helicopters from Cyprus, Germany and Slovenia were helping North Macedonia tackle blazes that have been burning for weeks, while Bosnian firefighters and local authorities appealed for international help to tackle fires raging in a national park in the east of the country.

The Athens blaze began Sunday afternoon near Lake Marathon, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of the city, and coursed across Mount Pendeli, descending into the city's suburbs.

Firefighters found the burned body of a woman in an industrial building in the suburb of Vrilissia just after midnight. The woman, an employee of the business, was believed to have become trapped inside the building.

More than a dozen people were treated by paramedics, mostly for smoke inhalation, while five firefighters suffered light burns and breathing problems, the fire department said.

Three hospitals, including a children’s hospital, two monasteries and a children’s home were evacuated on Monday, while about 30 push alerts were sent to cell phones warning people in several Athens suburbs and outlying settlements to flee.

Authorities said some people who refused to leave their homes later became trapped and required rescuing, endangering the lives of firefighters. The affected areas — at the closest, some 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the heart of Athens — typically have thousands of residents. However, it was unclear how many were away on vacation at the height of the summer season, and how many had obeyed the evacuation orders or stayed to fight the blaze.

Ten water-dropping planes and 10 helicopters were fighting the remaining flames Tuesday, backing up hundreds of firefighters on the ground, the fire department said.

Earlier in the week, the fire reached heights of about 25 meters (80 feet). It raced through pine forests left tinder-dry by repeated heat waves this summer. June and July were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter ever. An early start of the fire season this year has strained Greece’s firefighting force.

“Firefighters have been working at full tilt for months,” said Nikos Lavranos, head of Greece’s main firefighters’ union. “They are exhausted.”

Meteorologists warned of the increased danger of wildfires because of weather conditions from Sunday until Thursday, and dozens of other wildfires also broke out in several parts of Greece on Monday.

The fire department said two teenagers were arrested Monday on suspicion of arson for allegedly deliberately setting a fire in the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada while firefighters battled the blaze in the north of the city. The Glyfada fire was quickly extinguished.

Wildfires are frequent in the Mediterranean country during its hot, dry summers, but authorities have said climate change is fueling bigger and more frequent blazes.

In 2018, a massive fire swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee in their cars. More than 100 people died, including some who drowned trying to swim away from the flames.

Last year, wildfires in Greece killed more than 20 people, including 18 migrants who became trapped by flames as they trekked through a forest in northeastern Greece and were caught by a massive blaze that burned for more than two weeks.

A view of a burned warehouse in Nea Penteli suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A burned roadside shrine stands in Nea Penteli suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A burned book and debris inside a damaged factory covers the ground in Chalandri suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A charred vehicle and homes lie in ruins after a wildfire swept through the suburb of Nea Penteli in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A burned house is seen in Nea Penteli suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Firefighter Konstantinos Katsiadas 45 spays water in a damaged house in Nea Penteli suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Burned cars are parked outside a damaged house in Chalandri, suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital, triggered multiple evacuations. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A burned house is seen in Chalandri, suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital, triggered multiple evacuations. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A damaged gym is seen in Nea Penteli, suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital, triggered multiple evacuations. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Flowers are placed inside a damaged factory where one person was found dead, in Chalandri, suburb of Athens, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, following a major wildfire that has burned into the northern suburbs of the Greek capital, triggered multiple evacuations. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

This satellite image shows smoke rising from wildfires in East Attica, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Athens, which burned into the northern suburbs of Athens, triggering evacuations and leaving at least one person dead, on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

A general view of the of Athens with the Acropolis hill as fire burns the northern part of the city on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, while hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A firefighter stands in front of a burning business during a fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

Flames burn a vehicle at a business during a fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

Volunteers try to extinguish the flames near a house during a fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

A volunteer holds a hose amid smoke during a fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

Volunteers try to extinguish the fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

A volunteer tries to extinguish the fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

A volunteer throws a bucket of water to the flames during a fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

Volunteers try to extinguish the fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

The fire burns a vehicle during a fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

A volunteer holds a hose amid smoke during a fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

Volunteers try to extinguish the fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

A volunteer tries to extinguish the fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

Volunteers try to extinguish the fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Aggelos Barai)

Two men try to extinguish the flames at a burning business during a fire in northern Athens, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, as hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A general view of Athens with the Acropolis hill is seen as fire burns the northern part of the city on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, Hundreds of firefighters are tackling a major wildfire raging out of control on the fringes of the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was once called the most popular politician on Earth by then-U.S. President Barack Obama. Those times are long gone.

Halfway through his latest four-year term, Lula's approval rating has plunged down to levels never before seen in any of this three administrations. Brazil's economy is growing and its unemployment is decreasing, but people are complaining about higher food prices and crime.

Lula’s approval rating has dropped to 24%, according to the country’s most prominent pollster Datafolha in its latest February poll, which interviewed 2,007 people across Brazil with a margin of error of 2 percentage points. That is an all-time low across his time in office from 2003 to 2010, and since he took office again in 2023. The previous record was 28% in 2005. Surveys by other firms also show a rise in discontent.

And in an apparent attempt to claw back support, the government on Thursday is hosting an event in the capital, Brasilia.

“The objective is to present the achievements of the Federal Government in the first two years,” the presidential palace said in a statement this week.

Lula’s difficulties come against a Brazilian political landscape in upheaval, with his predecessor and bitter rival former President Jair Bolsonaro due to stand trial on charges that the right-wing politician attempted a coup.

The plunge in support also comes as Lula, 79, weighs whether to run for re-election next year.

For many observers, the increase in the cost of food is a top reason for Lula’s fall in popularity. Food and drinks were nearly 8% more expensive in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to Brazil's national statistics agency.

“Food inflation has a direct impact on people’s lives,” said Carla Beni, a professor of economics at Getulio Vargas Foundation, pointing especially to the rise of the cost of meat, a staple of Brazilians' diet.

Beni said prices have soared due to the impact of climate change on crops and the strengthening of the dollar against the real.

An uptick in food prices particularly affects the poor – Lula’s historical support base. A poll by private firm Genial/Quaest released Wednesday showed a surge in disapproval among women, Black people and in Brazil’s poorer northeast. In six months, the percentage of respondents who disapprove of Lula's administration in the northeast jumped from 26% to 46%. And more women have a poor opinion of the government than they do a positive one.

“Not only are things expensive, but we’re also living in a dangerous country,” said Anderson Vianna, 45, a sales representative who lives Rio de Janeiro's low-income northern zone. “If you have your phone in hand, you can’t relax,” added the man who voted for Lula in 2002, 2006 and 2022.

To reign in food inflation, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin announced on March 6 that the government would reduce import taxes to zero on a series of products, including meat and coffee.

But the measure does not appear to have turned the public’s perception of the government. João Feres, a political scientist at Rio de Janeiro State University, said Lula’s government has a myriad of public policies but “the problem is communicating the results of these policies.”

A blow to Lula came in January, when his government said it would increase oversight of financial transactions, including Brazil’s popular instant payment system PIX.

That sparked a flurry of fake news pushed by far-right politicians close to Bolsonaro, who said the government planned to impose a new tax on PIX payments. The administration denied the accusation, but ended up backtracking on the step.

“That was the first point that really damaged Lula’s image,” said Paulo Feldmann, an economist at the University of Sao Paulo.

Crime and violence are other top concerns.

“Since the end of restriction of movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's in first place” in the ranking of Brazilians' worries, said Marcos Calliari, the country's director of pollster IPSOS.

Over the weekend, the video of an influencer inadvertently filming the moment her phone was stolen at the Lollapalooza festival in Sao Paulo went viral. Almost one in 10 Brazilians had their phone stolen between July 2023 and June 2024, according to Datafolha.

Lula has sharpened his tone against thieves in recent weeks. “We will not allow criminals to take over our country,” he said on March 19.

The justice ministry is planning to send a bill to Congress that would increase the maximum sentence for receiving and benefiting from stolen cellphones from eight to up to 12 years, it said in a statement on Friday.

Lula’s government is also preparing a wider bill on security.

To woo back voters, the government is also counting on a proposal to cut taxation for the poor. Mid-March, the administration sent a bill to Congress that seeks to exempt individuals earning up to 5000 reais (around $880) per month from income tax, up from around 2,300 reais currently.

If Congress approves the bill, observers say it could be a big win for Lula, though it's uncertain whether it will restore his popularity.

With Lula struggling in the polls and Bolsonaro barred from running until 2030, the next election is much more unpredictable than the previous one, Beni said.

Vianna, the sales representative, said he is disappointed and is not sure he would vote for Lula again. “We need a renewal.”

FILE - Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attends a summit at the Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

FILE - Police ride past residents in a bulldozer they use to clear street barricades during a security operation against organized crime in the Mare Complex favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, addresses members of the judiciary, parliament and state governors, regarding the implementation of the Unified Public Security System to combat organized crime, at the Planalto Presidential Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

FILE - A boy receives food donated by a social project at the Turano favela, in Rio de Janeiro, June 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva leans over to talk with first lady Rosangela da Silva, during the opening event of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty meeting, on the sidelines of the G20 Ministerial Meetings in Rio de Janeiro, July 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)

FILE - Former President Jair Bolsonaro talks to reporters after arriving at the airport in Brasilia, Brazil, June 30, 2023. Bolsonaro was barred from running for office again until 2030 after a panel of judges concluded that he abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on the country's electronic voting system. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

FILE - Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and first lady Rosangela da Silva attend a pro-democracy event marking two years since the alleged coup attempt when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded government buildings and called for military intervention, in Brasilia, Brazil, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova, File)

FILE - U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, react during the G8 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, July 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

FILE - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva waves at the start of the Independence Day military parade, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)