Security guards block access to a pavilion after a fire broke out during the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para state, Brazil, on November 20, 2025. A fire erupted at a pavilion inside the venue of the UN’s climate talks in Brazil on Thursday, prompting panicked delegates to run for the exits, AFP journalists said. Emergency crews rushed to try to put out the blaze as smoke engulfed the corridor. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP)
A fire at a pavilion inside the venue of the UN’s climate talks in Brazil forced an evacuation Thursday as panicked delegates ran for the exits.
UN and security crews rushed with extinguishers to try to put out the blaze at the COP30 site in Belem, with smoke engulfing the corridor and people shouting “fire!”
Firefighters arrived at the scene as smoke billowed inside and out of the conference building.
The fire took place as ministers from around the world were deep in negotiations aimed at breaking a deadlock over fossil fuels, climate finance and trade measures, with one day left in the two-week conference.
AFP
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