Fire Breaks Out At COP30 Climate Summit Venue In Brazil

A fire erupted inside the packed United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil, on Thursday, forcing a panicked evacuation of thousands of delegates just as negotiations reached their final days.

The Brazilian organizers running the conference, known as COP30, issued a statement saying the fire was “under control and caused no injuries,” with firefighters and security continuing “to monitor the site.” Representatives for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

The blaze erupted around 2:05 p.m. local time near country pavilions inside the sprawling COP30 venue, an area where dozens of nations mount trade-show-like presentations and sometimes hand out free coffee to delegates.

As smoke spiraled up, firefighters sprinted through the series of tents that make up the summit venue at a former airport on the edge of the Amazon. Some yelled, “Saída! Saída! Get out!” Video on social media appeared to show the fire blowing a hole through the tented ceiling.

A separate “green zone” area that was open to the public on Thursday — and packed with local residents — was also evacuated. Within 45 minutes, people were being let back in.

Delegates waited outside in Belém’s characteristic afternoon rain, some slipping into cafes and huddling under trees to keep dry. 

A week ago, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell had warned Brazilian officials about conditions at the venue, prompting some visible changes including stepped-up security and more bottled water.

The fire came as high-level negotiations entered their final stretch, with nations debating how to address a looming gap between countries’ plans for countering climate change and what is necessary to contain global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The two-week summit is supposed to end on Friday, although negotiations often stretch into overtime.