JUST IN: WEF Conference Center Evacuated Over Mysterious Smell

The Davos Congress Center was evacuated Wednesday during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting.

“We have just been evacuated from the Congress Center,” Fox Business reporter Edward Lawrence reported in an X post. “Emergency crews trying to determine what is causing a smell that is making some people in our area cough,” he added.

The post was accompanied by a video that showed attendees streaming out of the building through a walkway while fire crews could be seen entering.

We have just been evacuated from the Congress Center.

Emergency crews trying to determine what is causing a smell that is making some people in our area cough. pic.twitter.com/4JVr1lDq22

— Edward Lawrence (@EdwardLawrence) January 21, 2026

The conference center, located in Davos, Switzerland, is the primary venue and central hub for the WEF’s Annual Meeting, which has been held there annually since 1971. The WEF organizes and hosts the event and uses the conference center for major sessions, addresses, and gatherings of world leaders, CEOs, and delegates.

Some reports link the smell to a fire at a nearby hotel, though no fire was confirmed inside the conference center itself, according to a report from the Daily Mail.

The incident occurred around 8:00 PM local time on January 21, 2026, with no indications of foul play, a bomb threat, or other security issues. Helicopters were observed overhead, and firefighters entered the building as part of the response.

“They evacuated us all. We left all our things inside because there seems to be a fire in a hotel nearby,” Italian journalist Lilli Gruber told the Daily Mirror. “There are helicopters flying overhead, it’s full of firefighters.”

Gruber and her team were set to hold a live broadcast on La7TV when the evacuation order was given. She and her team were forced to stand up and leave mid-setup, leaving equipment behind.

The evacuation came just hours after Trump addressed the World Economic Forum. At the time, the event had just wrapped up key discussions between President Trump, senior cabinet members and NATO representatives.

Much discussion was had about the ongoing negotiations over Greenland, the Russia-Ukraine war and other pressing foreign policy issues.

The U.S. had its largest-ever delegation at WEF 2026, led by President Trump and including cabinet members like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and others.

Trump was reportedly still in the building when the incident began. The evacuation affected all attendees in the conference center, including the U.S. group, but there are no reports of injuries, targeted impacts, or delays to their schedule beyond the immediate disruption as of this report.

At 8:33 p.m. local time, Lawrence reported that the evacuation order had been lifted. “Fire crews in Davos checked it out and ended the evacuation. We are back for my live [report],” he said, adding that crews were still working to determine the source of the smell.

In a separate update, the local fire department confirmed that the situation had been contained. “The alarm has been fully contained and the fire has been completely extinguished after evacuating part of the convention centre as a precaution,” the statement read.

La7 reported that the order was likely caused by a fire at a nearby hotel. “There are helicopters flying overhead, it’s full of firefighters, and so there’s an evacuation emergency,” Grubers said.

The evacuation comes just hours after Air Force One was forced to turn around while flying over the Atlantic Ocean due to an electrical issue. The president and the rest of the U.S. delegation soon arrived in the United States following an emergency landing and quickly boarded the backup plane before continuing to Davos.

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