Belem (Imran Y. CHOUDHRY):- A fire broke out at the East African Community stand in the Africa Pavilion area in the BlueZone ofthe COP30 venue inBelem, Brazil on thursday afternoon. There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is still being investigated.
The fire department and UN security officers responded swiftly, and the fire was controlled quickly and People were evacuated safely.
Thirteen individuals were treated on site for smoke inhalation. Their condition is being monitored, and appropriate medical support has been provided. As a precaution, the Brazilian Government and the UNFCCC have jointly decided to temporarily close the Blue Zone while the fire department carries out a comprehensive safety assessment.
Delegates are requested to await further official communication, which will be issued at 8:00 PM this evening, once the venue has been thoroughly evaluated and deemed fully safe. We appreciate the cooperation and understanding of all participants as we prioritize the safety of everyone involved. The Green Zone remains open and activities continue as scheduled.
The conference at the time of the fire managed to get out, but did not hear any emergency sirens.
“There was no evacuation warning; we were the ones who started to organize ourselves. It was civilians who grabbed the fire extinguishers and tried to put out the fire,” said Marcelo Rocha, Executive Director of the Ayika Institute, which was scheduled to present in the adjacent pavilion at the time of the fire.
After the fire, the COP organization issued a statement informing that the Blue Zone had been handed over to the host country’s responsibility.
“The host country’s fire chief ordered the evacuation of the entire site. The Fire Department will conduct full safety checks and should provide an update. The site is now under the authority of the host country and is no longer considered a Blue Zone,” .