A fire broke out at the United Nations climate summit in Brazil, prompting evacuations as negotiators attempted to strike an international agreement.
Officials said 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation, NPR noted.
An electrical fault is believed to be the culprit.
It remains unclear when the climate talks will continue.
The Guardian shared footage of the fire:
NPR shared further info:
Brazil’s Tourism Minister Celso Sabino told journalists at the scene that the fire started near the China Pavilion, which was among several pavilions set up for events on the sidelines of the climate talks.
The fire quickly spread to neighboring pavilions, said Samuel Rubin, one of the people in charge of an entertainment and culture pavilion. He said nearby pavilions include many of the Africa pavilions and one aimed at youth.
Video showed huge flames in one of the pavilions, which are reinforced canvas or fabric structures that typically have three walls and a floor.
Reuters shared additional footage of the fire.
The outlet emphasized that negotiating deadlines had already been missed.
A fire broke out at the COP30 climate summit venue in Belem, Brazil, prompting thousands of delegates to evacuate just as negotiators were working to finalize a climate deal https://t.co/r6oG77Mki3 pic.twitter.com/AZsrUVBWCQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 20, 2025
More from Reuters:
The summit in the Amazon city of Belem, Brazil, had already missed a self-imposed Wednesday deadline to secure agreement among the nearly 200 countries present on issues including how to increase climate finance and shift away from fossil fuels.
Brazil circulated a draft deal among governments on Thursday which did not include a roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels, two negotiators told Reuters, although the document is still being discussed.
Emissions from burning fossil fuels trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere and are by far the biggest contributor to warming.
There are less than 48 hours until the scheduled end of the summit to find a consensus, which host nation Brazil has framed as a crucial step to ramping up international climate action and demonstrating that there is broad support to accelerate turning decades of promises and pledges from the COP summits into concrete action.
ADVERTISEMENT
