A fire that broke out Thursday afternoon, November 20, in one of the pavilions at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, forced negotiators to halt final-stage discussions, with Brazilian authorities saying a full safety clearance would not come before the evening. The incident unfolded in the huge tented air-conditioned complex hosting more than 56,000 delegates which included journalists, activists and staff.
Officials said 13 people were treated on site for smoke inhalation. In a joint statement issued later in the day, the COP30 Presidency and UN Climate Change confirmed that firefighters had completed their assessment and declared the site safe. “Following a safety assessment, we inform you that the site has been inspected and deemed safe by the Fire Department,” the statement said.
According to the organisers, Brazil obtained the Fire Department’s operating permit and formally handed the venue back to the UN climate secretariat. “The Blue Zone has been reinstated and resumed operations at 8.40 PM today,” they said, noting that the section directly affected by the blaze would remain cordoned-off for the rest of the conference.
The statement added that teams were “closely monitoring the condition of all individuals who required medical attention” and that coordination with local health services would continue.
With part of the venue offline for several hours, all plenary meetings scheduled for Thursday evening were cancelled. Organisers said sessions on Wednesday would proceed as normal, open to parties, observers and media, and streamed online.
“We appreciate the cooperation, patience, and understanding of all participants,” the Presidency and UN Climate Change said, adding that negotiators were expected to return “in a spirit of solidarity and determination to ensure a successful outcome for this COP.”
Meanwhile, although the conference had been slated to conclude by November 21, delegates arrived on Thursday facing deep uncertainty, with talks bogged down over unresolved climate commitments. Diplomats warned that if the impasse continued, COP30 could become the first conference to close without an overarching political outcome document.