Fire disrupts Cop30 forcing evacuations as negotiators reach critical final days

Fire disrupted UN climate talks in Brazil forcing evacuations of several buildings with just two scheduled days left and negotiators yet to announce any major agreements.

Officials said no one was hurt in the blaze on Thursday.

The fire was reported in an area of pavilions where side-line events are held during the annual talks, known this year as Cop30.

Organisers soon announced that the fire was under control, but fire officials ordered the entire site evacuated for safety checks and it was not clear when conference business would resume.

Viliami Vainga Tone, with the Tonga delegation, had just come out of a high-level ministerial meeting when dozens of people came thundering past him shouting about the fire.

He was among people pushed out of the venue by Brazilian and UN security forces.

Mr Tone called time the most precious resource at the summit and said he was disappointed it is even shorter because of the fire.

“We have to keep up our optimism. There is always tomorrow, if not the remainder of today. But at least we have a full day tomorrow,” Mr Tone told The Associated Press.

A few hours before the fire, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres urged countries to compromise and “show willingness and flexibility to deliver results”, even if they fall short of the strongest measures some nations want.

“We are down to the wire and the world is watching Belem,” Mr Guterres said, asking negotiators to engage in good faith in the last two scheduled days of talks, which already missed a self-imposed deadline Wednesday for progress on a few key issues.

The conference, with this year’s edition known as Cop30, frequently runs longer than its scheduled two weeks.

“Communities on the front lines are watching, too — counting flooded homes, failed harvests, lost livelihoods — and asking, ‘how much more must we suffer?’” Mr Guterres said.

“They’ve heard enough excuses and demand results.”