The incident occurred this Thursday around 2:20 p.m. local time, in the so-called 'Zona Azul'
Compartir:
The building where the COP30 Climate Conference is being held, which is taking place in Belém, Pará state, Brazil, was evacuated after a fire broke out in one of the pavilions, according to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo.
The fire started in the so-called Blue Zone, the area where formal negotiations between delegates and ministers take place, and especially affected the area known as the Countries Pavilion.
The incident occurred this Thursday around 2:20 p.m. local time, when there was still no precise information about what could have caused the flames. As soon as the first columns of smoke were detected, security teams activated emergency protocols and ordered the total evacuation of the pavilion. As a preventive measure, the electricity supply in that section of the premises was also cut off.
So far, no injuries have been reported, according to local authorities cited by O Globo. Nevertheless, the incident caused moments of great tension among attendees, since the Blue Zone is a restricted-access area where official climate discussions take place with the participation of delegations from nearly 200 countries.
COP30, organized under the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), accredited about 44,000 participants in this edition, including government representatives, companies, civil organizations, international media, and observers. However, only official delegates and observers registered with the UNFCCC can access the Blue Zone.
El incendio.
The fire occurred at a particularly significant moment of the summit, as several political discussions related to funding for "the fight against climate change," "energy transition," and "emissions reduction" were taking place simultaneously in different parts of the pavilion.
Emergency teams were still working at the site with the aim of establishing the origin of the fire and determining the extent of the structural damage. So far, Brazilian authorities haven't confirmed whether the incident will impact the scheduled programming for the rest of the day or for the following days of the summit.
