A fire that broke out in the Blue Zone at COP30 in Belém, Brazil on Thursday afternoon is being used on social media to reinforce misinformation about the Chinese artwork gifted to the host country.
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By Bruno Fonseca (additional reporting: Isabel Seta, Giovana Girardi)
“Fire in one of the pavilions at COP30 in Belém-PA. Could this be the ‘response’ to the demonic statue gifted by China for COP30?” This was one of the posts published Thursday by profiles on social media X (formerly Twitter) after a fire broke out in a pavilion in the conference’s Blue Zone.
As reported by Agência Pública and several other news outlets, around 2:15 pm, a fire broke out at the East African Community stand in the Africa Pavilion area. There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is still being investigated.
A Pública reporter who was at 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.
Although the fire was reported at the East African Community stand in the African Pavilion area, several profiles posted that the situation occurred in the Chinese pavilion. An article on the Gazeta do Povo’s website stated that the fire occurred “near a Chinese exhibition stand.” “BOLSONARO IS RIGHT. CHINA PAVILION!!!!!”, a satirical profile posted on X.
Posts containing misinformation about China’s role in the COP have been circulating after the country gifted Brazil with a statue that blends elements of the Chinese dragon. Religious profiles have criticized the Guardian Spirit Dragon-Jaguar artwork. Apostle Estevam Hernandes, from the Renascer church, wrote that “the horned dragon is the biblical symbol of deception and power contrary to God” and that the work suggests “a fusion of national identity with values that do not reflect our Christian tradition.”
“This is literally the official guardian spirit of the COP30 climate summit. It was a gift from the CCP regime to Brazil,” posted another profile on X, associating the fire with the relationship with China. “Fire in one of the COP30 pavilions in Belém-PA (November 20, 2025). Could this be the “response” to the demonic statue gifted by China for COP30?” they wrote.
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Fire: What Is Known
At 2:58 p.m., 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 at 4 pm. Please note that the site is now under the authority of the host country and is no longer considered a Blue Zone,” the statement read.
Brazil’s Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, spoke between 3 pm and 4 pm, informing that the fire had been controlled, but that the resumption of activities in the pavilion would still be announced. He stated that there were no injuries.
In the late afternoon, the COP presidency issued a statement saying that “the fire was brought under control in approximately six minutes” and that “13 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,” the statement also said.
A statement issued shortly after confirmed that operating conditions at the conference venue had been restored and that the Blue Zone resumed operations at 8.40 pm.
“There will be no plenary activity this evening. Tomorrow’s plenary sessions will be open to Parties, Observers and Media, and will be streamed online,” it also said.
Featured image: UN Climate Change/Diego Herculano via Flickr.
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This story was originally produced by Agência Pública through the Socio-environmental Collaborative Coverage of COP30, and published with edits by Earth.Org. Read the original story here.
