Fire erupts at COP30 pavilion, delegates flee amid panic

BELÉM, Brazil: A fire broke out inside a COP30 pavilion at the UN climate summit in Belém on Thursday, triggering panic among delegates and briefly halting sensitive negotiations under way among ministers from nearly 200 countries.

According to officials, the blaze erupted in a country pavilion located in the “blue zone” near the main entrance of the COP30 venue. Smoke quickly filled the corridor as delegates shouted “fire!” and rushed towards the exits. UN and security personnel immediately moved in with extinguishers to contain the flames.

Brazil’s Tourism Minister Celso Sabino confirmed that the fire was brought under control and that no injuries were reported. The cause of the incident has not yet been identified.

Firefighters reached the scene moments later as smoke billowed through the large tented structures that are hosting the two-week climate conference on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. Tens of thousands of participants, including government representatives, activists and experts, are attending the summit.

In a statement, Brazil’s COP30 organisers said firefighters and security teams “responded promptly and continue to monitor the site.”

Light rainfall outside the venue drew brief cheers from attendees gathered in open areas as emergency teams worked to secure the affected pavilion.

The fire occurred as ministers were locked in intense discussions to break a deadlock on key issues, including fossil-fuel transition pathways, climate finance for developing nations and trade-related climate measures. Delegates expressed concern that Thursday’s disruption could slow the negotiations further, with only one day left before the summit’s scheduled conclusion.

Mauricio Lyrio, head of the Brazilian delegation, said he had been signing an agreement with a third country when officials instructed everyone to leave the area. He added that his team does not expect to return to the pavilion before the end of the day.

‘World is watching Belém’

Earlier on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged delegates to move towards an “ambitious compromise,” stressing that the world is closely following developments at COP30.

“The world is watching Belém,” he told reporters, adding that communities on the frontlines of climate impacts are “counting flooded homes, failed harvests, lost livelihoods, and asking how much more must we suffer?”

He appealed to negotiators to “engage in good faith” as countries awaited the next draft of the negotiating text, expected before Friday evening when the conference is set to close.