A major fire broke out at the COP30 climate summit venue in Belém, Brazil, on Thursday, November 20, throwing the United Nations conference into chaos and forcing the evacuation of thousands of delegates, activists, and officials. The incident, which occurred shortly before 2 p.m. local time in the Blue Zone pavilion area, resulted in 13 people requiring medical treatment for smoke inhalation, with six individuals still hospitalized as of Friday. No fatalities were reported, but the event has been described as unprecedented in the 30-year history of COP conferences, sparking widespread criticism and memes on social media.
The fire originated in one of the pavilions—initial reports suggest the Africa Pavilion—potentially caused by an electrical short circuit or a malfunctioning microwave oven in a staff area. Eyewitnesses described thick smoke billowing from the structure, prompting immediate evacuations across the entire site. “Everyone has been evacuated. We are now standing between the fuel trucks that supply the air conditioning with fuel,” tweeted Dutch journalist Mike Muller from the scene, highlighting the irony amid discussions on fossil fuel phase-outs. Fire officials ordered a full shutdown of the venue, which remained closed for approximately seven hours while emergency crews contained the blaze and conducted safety assessments.
Brazilian authorities, including the Fire Department, quickly responded, extinguishing the flames without further structural damage. By evening, the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) announced that the site had been inspected and deemed safe, allowing sessions to resume later that night. However, the disruption halted key negotiations on topics like adaptation finance and decarbonization pathways, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres reportedly urging a tripling of adaptation funding amid the setback.
The incident has drawn sharp political reactions in Brazil. Opposition figures labeled it a “international embarrassment,” pointing to organizational failures under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration. “What a fiasco,” posted Brazilian journalist Rafael Fontana on X, noting the fire’s start on Brazil’s Black Consciousness Day and drawing parallels to other perceived mishaps at the summit, including reports of unpaid workers and overbudget contracts. Social media erupted with memes, including one from the British satirical account Have I Got News For You, quipping, “Metaphors like this only threaten to become more heavy-handed as the crisis goes on.”
Federal Police (PF) have dispatched forensic experts from Brasília to investigate the exact cause, amid speculation of negligence in the venue’s setup, which relied heavily on diesel generators for air conditioning—a point of irony for a conference focused on reducing emissions. Critics, including environmental groups and opposition politicians, have used the event to highlight broader issues with COP30’s execution, such as environmental impacts from construction and transportation. One X user, Nando Galo, summed up the sentiment: “Fights, relieved chancellors leaving, unpaid workers, overpricing, no-bid contracts, the president and first lady showing off, fire, billions spent for nothing.”
Despite the interruption, COP30 organizers emphasized resilience. Pará Governor Helder Barbalho praised the rapid response and highlighted ongoing attractions like the Pará-Municípios Pavilion, which drew over 30,000 visitors the previous day. The conference, themed around a “fast and fair transition” to limit global warming to 1.5°C, continues with youth dialogues and high-level panels, though the fire has underscored the vulnerabilities even events like this face in a changing climate.
As investigations proceed, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for robust infrastructure in hosting global summits. COP30, attended by representatives from nearly 200 countries, is set to conclude on November 22, with hopes that the remaining sessions will yield concrete commitments on climate finance and loss and damage support for vulnerable nations like Bangladesh.
