A fire that prompted the evacuation of the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belem on Thursday has been fully contained, according to officials, though uncertainty remains over when negotiations will resume. Authorities confirmed that emergency crews quickly brought the blaze under control, but it was still unclear whether delegates would be allowed to re-enter the affected area later in the day or even on Friday.
Brazil’s tourism minister, speaking to reporters outside the venue, said there were no injuries and that firefighting teams had successfully controlled the situation. However, he acknowledged that he could not yet confirm when the summit’s negotiation halls would reopen to delegates. Organizers echoed his remarks, noting that Brazilian fire authorities ordered the evacuation of the entire conference complex as a precautionary measure.
The incident disrupted an already tense and high-pressure phase of the summit, which was slated to conclude on Friday. COP30 negotiators had already missed their own Wednesday deadline to reach consensus on key issues — including climate finance commitments, adaptation funding, and plans for phasing out fossil fuels — leaving talks running behind schedule even before the fire scare.
The alarm sounded in the midst of active negotiations, sending diplomats, observers, and journalists rushing out of the conference center. Police quickly cordoned off the area surrounding the reported fire zone to ensure safety. Television footage captured flames and smoke rising inside the facility, which sits on the grounds of a former airport in the Amazonian capital.
Since the start of the two-week summit, the venue has seen regular demonstrations demanding stronger climate action and stricter protections for the Amazon rainforest. Some of these protests had already disrupted closed-door sessions earlier in the week — and the fire incident added yet another layer of chaos to a summit struggling to meet its objectives under mounting global scrutiny.
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