The UN climate talks COP30 were temporarily halted and evacuated following a fire outbreak at the pavilion area inside the venue in Belém, Brazil.
BBC reported on Thursday that the talks were in the final hours of trying to agree on next steps to tackle climate change when the fire broke out and disrupted negotiations.
The UN climate body United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said the fire was extinguished after six minutes and 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation.
As of this time, it is not yet known what caused the blaze though several causes are calling it an electrical fault.
After the fire broke out, orange flames burned a hole through the sheeting that covers the venue, which is in a former aerodrome. One video shows a man spraying a fire extinguisher at the fire before running away.
Hundreds of people were left sitting on the floor or on plastic chairs outside in high temperatures and humidity.
The fire is likely to delay the closing of a deal in the talks. At the time of the fire outbreak and subsequent evacuation, talks were stuck on how to close the gap between the level of warming the world is on course for, compared to that which governments previously agreed would be a better, safe level.
A number of country delegations were forced to take shelter outside under the roof of a petrol station, a member of the UK delegation told the BBC. He said the fire halted negotiations.
The UN, which runs COP climate meetings, said the fire brigade is checking the venue to assess safety and that the summit has been temporarily taken over by Brazilian authorities.
Thousands of people are attending the UN climate talks, including members of delegations from around the world.
Nearly 200 countries are trying to agree on how to make progress in tackling climate change.
This year’s COP has been rather controversial for a number of reasons.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has called for a refocus on how to improve human health rather than spend so much to solve a climate crisis that may not be apocalyptic.
Also, the administration of President Donald Trump did not approve a single official to the summit – a bad precedent for a country that is not only the world’s largest producer of petroleum but also its second largest carbon emitter.
Meanwhile, COP31 will be held in Turkiye next November after Australia dropped its bid to host the conference.