A massive blaze has erupted at the Cop30 venue on Thursday, leaving more than 13 people suffering from serious smoke inhalation and forcing massive evacuations of different buildings.
The blaze caused serious disruption of the UN climate talks in Brazil at a crucial time, sources mentioned. This is when the host nation was making way to bring together 190 different countries on board in the last few hours of the summit to strike an important deal with just two scheduled days remaining.
The fire managed to spread throughout the pavilions that were used for this conference in Belem. Videos showed emergency crews battling huge flames, and then one eyewitness described seeing lots of billowing smoke.
As per the local fire department, the cause of this blaze is being investigated, but it did reveal how it might have arisen from electrical equipment like a microwave.
Fire Department members and UN security officers replied quickly to the scene, and it was believed that this fire was controlled in six minutes. Many were evacuated safely. But some needed immediate medical treatment after inhaling too much smoke.
The real cause of this incident is still under investigation.