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A fire broke out on Thursday inside the venue of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, forcing an emergency evacuation of delegates and temporarily disrupting ongoing ministerial negotiations.
Authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported, but the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
The fire occurred as delegates from nearly 200 countries were engaged in intense negotiations over core agenda items, including fossil fuel transition frameworks, climate financing for developing nations, and trade-related climate measures.
The fire originated in a country pavilion situated within the so-called "blue zone" — the secured area of the conference reserved for state delegations and international organizations. As smoke spread rapidly through the corridor, security teams opened emergency exits, prompting participants to flee. Firefighters and UN personnel responded quickly, using extinguishers to contain the flames.
Brazilian Tourism Minister Celso Sabino stated that the fire had been brought under control and confirmed that no casualties occurred. However, the damage included a hole in the roof of the temporary conference structure, which had been set up on the edge of the Amazon rainforest to host the event.
Mauricio Lyrio, head of the Brazilian delegation, said he was in the process of signing a trilateral agreement when he was urgently asked to leave the site. He indicated that his team would likely be unable to return to the venue for the rest of the day.
The conference is scheduled to conclude Friday evening, and the fire added uncertainty to an already tense closing stretch. Earlier that day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had urged negotiators to find an "ambitious compromise," warning that communities on the climate frontlines were watching closely.
The incident has drawn renewed attention to infrastructure challenges in Belem, a city often referred to as the "gateway to the Amazon." In the lead-up to COP30, critics raised concerns over insufficient public infrastructure and high accommodation costs for visitors. The summit is being held in large temporary tents constructed specifically for the event.
Local media reports had previously highlighted logistical difficulties in hosting tens of thousands of participants, including limited hotel capacity and strained urban services.
Dubbed the "Amazon COP," the Belem summit emphasizes the role of tropical rainforests in mitigating climate change and halting biodiversity loss. Key agenda items include the launch of new nationally determined contributions (NDCs), commitments to halt deforestation, and scaling up climate finance.
The conference also marks the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris Agreement and is widely viewed as a milestone in setting a long-term global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A revised draft of the final negotiating text is expected to be circulated before the summit closes.
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