BELÉM, BRAZIL – Crucial United Nations climate negotiations were thrown into disarray on Thursday, November 20, 2025, after a fire broke out at the COP30 summit venue, forcing a full evacuation and halting talks during their critical final hours. The incident occurred at approximately 2:00 PM local time (8:00 PM EAT) in the pavilion area of the conference's 'Blue Zone'.

In a joint statement, the COP30 Presidency and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) confirmed that the fire was controlled within six minutes by the swift response of the fire department and UN security. Thirteen individuals were treated on-site for smoke inhalation, with their conditions being monitored. No other serious injuries were reported.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation, but Helder Barbalho, the governor of Pará state where Belém is located, told local media that preliminary hypotheses point towards either a short-circuit in one of the temporary pavilions or a generator failure. Eyewitness accounts and video footage shared on social media showed flames and thick black smoke billowing from the structure, leading to a rapid and chaotic evacuation of the thousands of delegates, observers, and journalists present.

Sonia Borrini, a communications officer for the African Development Bank, told Climate Home News that the fire appeared to have started in a technical room near the Africa pavilion and the East African Community pavilion. Nathaniel Mtunji, a Kenyan policy advisor for The Nature Conservancy, described the scene to The Guardian: “I was in the Amazon Governor's pavilion and then I saw people running towards me... The fire was big and coming towards us.”

Negotiations at a Standstill

The disruption occurred at a pivotal moment for the summit, which was already behind schedule and struggling to find consensus on key issues. Negotiators from nearly 200 countries were attempting to broker a deal on climate finance, adaptation measures, and a contentious roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels before the conference's scheduled conclusion on Friday, November 21.

The Kenyan delegation, led by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Environment Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa, has been a vocal part of a coalition pushing for a decisive global fossil fuel phase-out. The fire-induced delay compresses an already tight timeline, raising concerns that the loss of valuable negotiating time could lead to a weakened final agreement. “It means there is a lot to do with very little time. There were already huge gulfs to bridge and this won't help,” Teresa Anderson of ActionAid commented.

The venue was temporarily handed over to Brazilian authorities for a comprehensive safety assessment before being deemed safe and returned to UN control. The Blue Zone officially reopened at 8:40 PM local time (2:40 AM, Friday EAT), though plenary activities were suspended for the evening. Negotiations were expected to resume on Friday morning.

The incident casts a spotlight on the immense logistical and security challenges of hosting tens of thousands of participants at such a high-stakes global event. For nations like Kenya, which are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, the unexpected halt in proceedings underscores the fragility of the multilateral process and the urgent need for a substantive outcome from Belém, regardless of the disruption.