BELEM - A fire broke out inside the UN climate summit venue in Brazil, burning through the roof and causing a panicked evacuation and the suspension of talks entering a crucial phase.
The blaze engulfed pavilions in the summit site in Belem, torching a hole through its fabric ceiling, sparking a rush for the exit as smoke filled the corridors and people cried "fire!"
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.
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.
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.
Nineteen people were treated for smoke inhalation and two for anxiety, the Brazilian presidency of the event said.
Brazil later declared the site reopened at 8:40 pm after a fire department inspection, with an AFP reporter seeing a trickle of delegates re-entering and food kiosks resuming work -- though plenary sessions will not restart until Friday.
The area where the blaze broke out was sealed off from view with a vast sheet. People who had left belongings in the affected zone were escorted in one by one to retrieve them -- including those who needed to collect passports for flights departing later in the night.