Fire halts COP30 talks in Brazil as delegates evacuated from Blue Zone

COP30 in Belem screeched to an abrupt pause on Thursday after a fire broke out in the Blue Zone, forcing attendees to evacuate the core area reserved for negotiators and accredited media.

Brazil’s Tourism Minister Celso Sabino was quick to play it down.

“There was a small fire here, which is possible at any large event,” he told journalists. “This small fire could happen anywhere on planet Earth.”

Organisers said the evacuation was “fast” and the flames were under control within six minutes, with only minor damage reported. Still, the disruption was real: thirteen people were treated for smoke inhalation and the Blue Zone was shut until at least 8pm local time.

The cause remains under investigation, though Para state governor Helder Barbalho suggested a technical fault. Authorities believe a generator failure or short circuit may have sparked the blaze.

“We will find out what caused it, whether we can restart work here in the Blue Zone today or not,” he wrote on social media, adding that “The Green Zone is operating normally.”

Chaos unfolded just after 2pm when flames were spotted in a pavilion inside the restricted zone. Videos circulating online showed people running as security urged them out.

Independent journalist Fernando Ralfer Oliveira, who was inside at the time, described the moment.

“I was in the big corridor that leads to the meeting rooms when a commotion of people started running… When I got close to the pavilion, someone ran past me shouting, ‘Fire, fire, fire!’” He added that security rapidly moved in, ordering everyone to “Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate.”

Evacuees were redirected to the conference food court outside the pavilion while the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change later confirmed that local fire services would conduct “full safety checks” before any reopening. A follow-up notice made clear the severity of the interruption:

“Please note that the premises are now under the authority of the Host Country and are no longer considered a Blue Zone.”

The incident comes at an awkward moment for Brazil, just a week after it moved to reassure the UN over safety concerns at the summit. While officials insist the situation is contained, the optics of a fire at the heart of global climate negotiations are hard to ignore.