Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763682376884cropped-photo-collage.png.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Security responded &quot;swiftly&quot; and the blaze was controlled in roughly six minutes, COP30 hosts Brazil and United Nations Climate Change said in a joint statement. <em>via Raphael Bosano, ABS-CBN News/Contributed video</em></span></span></span></div><p>BELÉM, Brazil — A fire broke out inside the UN climate summit venue in Brazil on Thursday, burning through the roof and causing a panicked evacuation and the suspension of talks entering a crucial phase.</p><p>The blaze engulfed pavilions in the summit site in Belem and torched a hole through its fabric ceiling, sparking a rush for the exit as smoke filled the corridors amid cries of &quot;fire!&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1172497274824975%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>It was the third major incident since the COP30 negotiations started last week in the Amazon region, after Indigenous protesters stormed the venue and later blockaded the entrance in peaceful demonstration.</div><p>Security responded &quot;swiftly&quot; and the blaze was controlled in roughly six minutes, COP30 hosts Brazil and United Nations Climate Change said in a joint statement.</p><p>The venue suffered &quot;limited damage&quot; from the fire but will reopen no sooner than 8:00 pm (2300 GMT) Thursday evening, UN Climate Change said.</p><p>Thirteen people were treated for smoke inhalation, the statement added.</p><p>Firefighters and ambulances arrived with sirens blaring as acrid smoke billowed from the huge tents and permanent structures hosting tens of thousands of diplomats, journalists, and activists for the two-week event.</p><div><br/></div><div><span style="background-color:transparent"><strong>SHOCK AND DISBELIEF </strong></span></div><div><br/></div><div><span style="background-color:transparent">Kimberly Humphrey, an emergency medicine physician attending COP30 with Doctors for the Environment Australia, was in a meeting when she received alerts of a fire.</span></div><p>Outside she could &quot;smell smoke and burning plastic. There was no alarms, there was no whistles... only people running and yelling and evacuating.&quot;</p><p>She found a medical center where people were being treated for shock and smoke inhalation, and started working with others to help those in need.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s not what you expect to happen when you are at a conference,&quot; she told AFP.</p><p>&quot;Initially, there&#x27;s a sense of disbelief...The first thing I thought was, &#x27;Oh, this isn&#x27;t real,&#x27;&quot; Humphrey said.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s really a combination of terror and not having a good emergency plan, not knowing where the exits are, but also what I need to do as a doctor and needing to help people, too.&quot;</p><p>The cause of the blaze was being investigated but could have been the result of a short circuit or other electrical malfunction, said Brazilian Tourism Minister Celso Sabino.</p><p>&quot;This could have happened anywhere in the world,&quot; Sabino told reporters, sounding like he was on the defensive.</p><p>Early in the summit, UN climate chief Simon Stiell had complained to Brazil about security, sweltering conditions and faulty air-conditioning, and water leaks near light fittings during torrential tropical downpours.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>BAD TIMING </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Two women who worked in a pavilion belonging to an international organization told AFP that the facilities had been fitted with makeshift electrical wiring.</p><p>There were exposed wires and water dripped from the roof onto their electrical panel, they said on condition of anonymity, adding that they reported the issues but to no avail.</p><p>&quot;The operational difficulties just before the start of this COP could have led people to believe this type of incident might occur,&quot; a source close to the organization of the event told AFP on condition of anonymity.</p><p>Some delegates told AFP they were holding meetings virtually until formal negotiations could resume.</p><p>The interruption comes at a crucial moment on the second-to-last day of the summit as ministers try to break a deadlock over fossil fuels, climate finance and trade measures.</p><p>&quot;It will absolutely delay the process because this is like the crucial time, this the time when we have to decide on the process that started last week,&quot; Windyo Laksono, a member of the Indonesian delegation, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;Some of us were still negotiating inside the room but due to the fire I think the process will stop for a while,&quot; he said.</p><p>The talks are stuck over a &quot;roadmap&quot; to transition away from fossil fuels proposed by host Brazil, concerns over weak emissions-reduction plans, finance for developing countries, and trade barriers.</p><p>&quot;The situation is volatile,&quot; said a negotiator from a developed country at the talks.</p><p>Earlier Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told negotiators &quot;the world is watching&quot; and urged them to reach an &quot;ambitious compromise.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Security responded "swiftly" and the blaze was controlled in roughly six minutes, COP30 hosts Brazil and United Nations Climate Change said in a joint statement.</p>

Security responded "swiftly" and the blaze was controlled in roughly six minutes, COP30 hosts Brazil and United Nations Climate Change said in a joint statement.

Fire breaks out at UN climate talks, forcing delay at critical phase

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Fire breaks out at UN climate talks, forcing delay at critical phase

Nick Perry,

Anna Pelegri and Jordi Zamora,

Agence France-Presse

Published Nov 21, 2025 07:47 AM PHT

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