Davos Summit 2026: Mysterious odour triggers evacuation as firefighters enter venue

The World Economic Forum (WEF), currently on at Davos, was evacuated because of an "unusual odour" that triggered a coughing bout in some attendees on Wednesday evening. Around an hour before the stench was reported, Donald Trump had left after finishing his speech, a White House spokesperson told CBS News. He delivered an aggressive stance on Greenland once again and even announced the framework of a deal on the acquisition. The odour issue arose at the Davos Congress Centre, where the US President had carried out the conference. It was fully evacuated after the problem was reported. Later, it emerged that a fire had broken out "in a wooden hut near the hotel housing the conference centre." Firefighters were seen at the venue. Witnesses said that EMTs used specialised smoke divers to investigate the potential hazards of the smell. The fire was completely extinguished, and the media was back at the centre less than an hour after the inspection was over, Fox Business reported.

Hundreds of political leaders and businessmen are in the Swiss city for the Davos summit. Trump has been vying to get Greenland and met with top NATO military officers to discuss an arrangement under which "small pockets of Greenlandic" territory could be given to the US to build security bases, senior officials told The New York Times. Those in the know about the proposed arrangement say that it is similar to the UK military bases in Cyprus.

Also Read: Davos 2026: Key takeaways from Trump's angry, Greenland obsessed speech

Trump and NATO leaders on Greenland deal at Davos

Trump said that NATO will help the US build his Golden Dome missile defence system. "They're going to be involved in the Golden Dome, and they're going to be involved in mineral rights, and so are we," Trump told CNBC. He told reporters that the deal "gets us everything we needed to get". The agreement doesn't have an expiration, and Trump said that it would last "forever". Meanwhile, NATO said that negotiations involving Denmark, Greenland and the United States will start, and the aim is to ensure "Russia and China never gain a foothold - economically or militarily - in Greenland."

Trump said that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will be taking part in the negotiations. Harping on his need to have Greenland, Trump said, "I don't have to use force, I don't want to use force. I won't use force,' he vowed. 'All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland". The biggest island in the world is not only a strategic location, but is also rich in oil, gold, graphite, copper, iron, and other rare earth elements.