Fire prompts evacuations at UN COP30 Summit in Brazil, 13 injured

At least 13 people were injured in a fire which broke out at the main venue of the ongoing UN COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil's Belem, forcing thousands of people to run for safety. The fire broke out at around 2 pm on Thursday at the 'Blue Zone' near the East Africa pavilion, where all meetings, negotiations, country pavilions, media centre and offices of all high-profile dignitaries are housed, including the main plenary hall. As soon as news of the fire spread, people ran out of all exit gates for safety.

Chaos in Belém Brazil as part of the COP30 building goes up in flames. A lot of screaming and running before we found out why pic.twitter.com/LOsZOE3ZEE

— Catherine Ellis (@Cat_lucy1) November 20, 2025

There were no injuries in Thursday’s blaze, according to Brazil’s Tourism Minister Celso Sabino. In a news conference afterwards, he downplayed the seriousness of the fire. The cause of the fire remains unclear. But Helder Barbalho — the governor of the state of Para, where the summit is taking place — told the Brazilian channel GloboNews that authorities believe a generator failure or short circuit might have sparked the incident.

It is learnt that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was present at the venue and promptly evacuated by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) protection detail. India's Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav was also present with the Indian delegation inside the Blue Zone when the fire broke out, but he and other officials safely exited the venue, a spokesperson of the ministry said.The joint statement said that the fire department and UN security officers responded swiftly, and the fire was controlled in approximately six minutes.The fire has not affected the 'Green Zone', where various stalls and exhibitions are organised, and remains open with activities continuing as scheduled, it added.