A fire at the COP30 UN climate summit in Brazil caused an evacuation, injured 13, and suspended critical negotiations on fossil fuels and climate finance
BELÉM: A fire broke out inside the UN COP30 climate summit venue on Thursday, forcing a panicked evacuation and suspending talks at a critical phase.
The blaze engulfed pavilions in Belém, Brazil, burning a hole through the fabric ceiling as smoke filled the corridors.
Attendees rushed for exits amid cries of “fire” during the incident, the third major disruption after Indigenous protests earlier in the summit.
Security responded swiftly and firefighters controlled the blaze in roughly six minutes, according to a joint statement from hosts Brazil and UN Climate Change.
The venue suffered limited damage but will not reopen before 8:00 pm local time on Thursday.
Thirteen people were treated for smoke inhalation, the statement confirmed.
Firefighters and ambulances arrived with sirens blaring as acrid smoke billowed from the structures hosting tens of thousands of delegates.
Kimberly Humphrey, a doctor with Doctors for the Environment Australia, was in a meeting when she received fire alerts.
“There was no alarms, there was no whistles… only people running and yelling and evacuating,” she told AFP.
Humphrey described a combination of terror and the absence of a clear emergency plan as she helped treat people for shock.
Brazilian Tourism Minister Celso Sabino said the cause was under investigation but could have been an electrical malfunction.
“This could have happened anywhere in the world,” Sabino told reporters.
Two women working in a pavilion told AFP of makeshift electrical wiring, exposed wires, and water dripping onto electrical panels.
They said they reported the issues without resolution.
The interruption comes on the second-to-last day of the summit as ministers try to break a deadlock over fossil fuels and climate finance.
“It will absolutely delay the process because this is like the crucial time,” said Windyo Laksono, a member of the Indonesian delegation.
Some delegates shifted to virtual meetings until formal negotiations could resume.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had earlier urged negotiators to reach an “ambitious compromise,” stating “the world is watching.” – AFP
