The COP30 UN climate talks in Belém were evacuated on Wednesday after a fire broke out inside the main venue, sending hundreds of delegates outdoors in intense heat and humidity.
BBC reporters saw flames and smoke rising from a pavilion area before emergency teams moved people outside and fire engines rushed in. A section of the venue’s outer covering was burned through as orange flames spread, and video footage showed a man trying to put out the fire with an extinguisher before running away.
The Brazilian government said the fire has been brought under control and no injuries have been reported so far. The cause is still unknown, though one eyewitness told the BBC he believed it started from an electrical fault.
Delegates were seen sitting on the ground and on plastic chairs outside the former aerodrome that hosts the summit. A woman was taken away in a wheelchair, but it remains unclear if her condition was linked to the fire.
Members of several country delegations had to take shelter under the roof of a nearby petrol station. A UK delegate told the BBC that the fire halted ongoing negotiations.
The UN said firefighters are inspecting the venue to assess safety and that Brazilian authorities have temporarily taken charge of the site.
Thousands of participants from nearly 200 countries are attending COP30 to negotiate progress on global climate action. The UN has been asked for more details about the cause of the fire and any possible impact on the summit’s schedule.
Source: BBC