"BELEM, Brazil A fire briefly spread through pavilions being used for U.N. climate talks in Brazil and prompted evacuations Thursday on the next-to-last day of the conference, and officials said 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation. Organizers said the fire was controlled in about six minutes. Fire officials ordered the evacuation of the entire site for the conference, known as COP30, and it wasn't clear when the talks would resume."
"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."
"Gabi Andrade, a volunteer with COP30 from host city Belem, said she has been working on accreditations at the conference for the last three weeks. Thursday was her first free afternoon and she'd just gotten off her lunch break and was exploring the Singapore pavilion when the fire broke out. She said she saw black smoke. A security guard grabbed her hand and showed her to the exit as she cried and screamed "fire.""
A fire broke out at the COP30 summit venue in Belem, Brazil, briefly spreading through fabric pavilions and prompting evacuation of the entire site. The blaze was controlled within about six minutes and 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation. The fire started near the China Pavilion and quickly spread to neighboring pavilions, including several African pavilions and a youth pavilion. A generator failure or a short circuit in a booth may have caused the fire. Much of the venue remained under construction with exposed beams, open plywood floors and metal meshed corridors. Volunteers and attendees were evacuated amid black smoke and shouting.
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