Delegates at the UN’s COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, were rushed to safety after a fire erupted within the conference venue.

Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported. Witnesses reported visible flames and thick smoke filling the pavilion space, prompting a hasty exodus as emergency vehicles sped by.

According to organizers, firefighters quelled the blaze within about six minutes, with 13 attendees receiving medical attention for inhaling smoke. Investigators have yet to pinpoint the ignition source.

What should be of note is this morsel of information relayed by the BBC:

“… One eyewitness told the BBC that he believes an electrical fire was the cause. …”

While the BBC hasn’t explicitly said the incident was a battery fire, footage from the incident reveals a strikingly fierce inferno that seems disproportionate to a mere electrical glitch. That said, the blaze’s ferocity could plausibly stem from the abundance of throwaway, oil-derived plastics employed in assembling the eco-summit’s pavilion structures.

Adding to the chaos COP30 had reportedly been plagued by a string of mishaps: heavy downpours at the very start of the summit turned the venue entrances into flooded quagmires and left several meeting rooms drenched. At one point, a number of climate cultists clashed with security at the conference and attendees also reportedly faced broken toilets and stifling, unbearable heat throughout the event.

With COP30 drawing to a close and few top officials still present, it would not only be ironic if a battery inflammation caused today’s fire due to electric vehicles having to rely on batteries for energy. Also, the multiple problems reported at the gathering reminds the world of the global body’s incompetence.

However, that fire released a lot of CO2 just like the airline flights and ships used to transport people to the conference.