Fire Breaks Out at COP30 Pavilion in Brazil, Forcing Evacuations and Halting Climate Talks
A fire broke out Thursday inside a country pavilion at the UN’s COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, sending delegates fleeing and temporarily halting high-stakes negotiations.
UN security personnel rushed to contain the blaze as flames tore through the fabric roof of the summit’s “blue zone,” the restricted area under UN authority. Witnesses reported thick smoke filling corridors as people shouted “fire!” and ran for the exits.
Brazilian Tourism Minister Celso Sabino said the blaze was quickly brought under control and no injuries were reported. He said a short circuit or other electrical malfunction was the likely cause, though an investigation is underway. The UN climate body said damage was “limited,” but the site would remain closed until at least 8:00 p.m. (2300 GMT).
Firefighters arrived within minutes as smoke poured from the compound, which includes both permanent buildings and large temporary structures built to host tens of thousands of attendees at the edge of the Amazon rainforest.
Outside, a light drizzle helped clear the acrid air. Inside, delegates waited for word on when talks would resume. The incident came at a critical moment: ministers were locked in negotiations to break a persistent deadlock over fossil fuels, climate finance, and trade provisions, with just one day left in the two-week summit.
“This will absolutely delay the process,” said Windyo Laksono of the Indonesian delegation. “This is the crucial time — we were still negotiating when the fire stopped everything.”
Smoke Exposure and Safety Concerns
Dr. Kimberly Humphrey, an emergency medicine specialist attending the summit with Doctors for the Environment Australia, volunteered at a nearby medical center after leaving the site. She said some people were treated for smoke inhalation while others experienced emotional distress.
“It’s not what you expect at a conference,” she said. “There’s disbelief, a sense of terror, and confusion about the emergency plan — we didn’t know where the exits were.”
Two employees of an international organization told AFP the pavilion where they worked had makeshift wiring, exposed cables, and leaking water dripping onto an electrical panel. They said they had reported the hazards before the incident but nothing was done.
Delegates also said neither fire alarms nor sprinklers activated, though Brazilian volunteers managed the evacuation efficiently.
“It’s a COP of strange events,” one African delegate remarked, referring to an earlier incident in which Indigenous protesters forced their way into the venue.
Talks Expected to Resume
João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary at Brazil’s environment ministry, said there were “no serious consequences” and that electrical systems were functioning again. “No negotiation room was affected,” he said.
Nearly 200 countries have spent the past two weeks trying to resolve contentious issues — including Brazil’s proposed “roadmap” to transition away from fossil fuels, concerns over weak emissions-reduction commitments, and financing mechanisms for developing nations.
Earlier Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged negotiators to find an “ambitious compromise.”
“The world is watching Belém,” he said, as delegates awaited a new draft negotiating text before the summit’s scheduled close on Friday.
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