Fear and moments of tension at the COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Late yesterday afternoon, a fire broke out inside the Blue Zone, the area hosting the main climate negotiations. The flames spread to the pavilions of the various countries, close to the Italian one, near the official entrance to the Conference.
The alarm went off around 6pm (2pm local time), just on the eve of the closing of the works. In a few minutes, smoke invaded the exhibition area, forcing the immediate evacuation of delegates, observers and journalists – including several Italian correspondents – who were accompanied to the area located on the opposite side of the complex.
UN personnel and security agents quickly intervened on site and attempted to contain the flames using fire extinguishers. The firefighters then took control of the situation and made the area safe. According to local authorities, no injuries were reported, although the reasons that started the fire still remain to be clarified.
caralho, fogo na zona azul here from COP 30. a sight of people running. meu deus! pic.twitter.com/ebXubnHwiR
— ralfer (@ralferr) November 20, 2025
If this is a metaphor
The Brazilian Minister of Tourism, Celsus Sabinusconfirmed around 2.30pm local time that the episode was “under control”. However, the symbolic bitterness remains: a fire in the very place where the world’s governments should be discussing solutions to the climate crisis.
An accident which, although fortunately without consequences for people (some were hospitalized due to inhalation), comes in a COP already marked by delays, negotiating tensions and difficulties in finding concrete agreements. A disturbing signal, while the Planet continues to ask for urgent actions, not new emergencies.
Happening now at #COP30 a section of the pavilion caught fire, firefighters are battling the flames, the extra heat here boasting the flames. Surely not the kind of ending we had anticipated. This temporary setback surely should not make the end
Praying for the safety of everyone pic.twitter.com/x7jUWHwuIO— Dr Michael Terungwa David #Climate #Food #Justice (@miketerungwa) November 20, 2025
The image of the fire at COP30 – at the heart of the world climate conference – is indeed difficult to ignore. Not only for the fear experienced by those who were there, but for what it represents: while the Earth burns, we continue to discuss it as if we still have time.
It’s almost grotesque. A fire breaks out right where the strategies to save the planet are being negotiated, amidst infinite compromises and resistance. A scene that perfectly summarizes the era we are going through: the emergency is real, physical, tangible, but the reaction is slow, bureaucratic, diluted in declarations without thrust.
The fire that forces ministers, delegates and journalists to evacuate is the same fire that advances in the forests, that fuels extreme droughts, that makes weather events increasingly violent. A fire that does not wait for press releases or compromise decisions.
The Planet is already on fire. The only difference is that it cannot be evacuated.
