A fire forced organizers of the UN’s COP30 climate talks in Belem in northern Brazil to empty the site on Thursday. Reporters and other attendees were sent a circular note saying there was a “fire incident in Zone B,” and asking them to “evacuate the venue immediately.” A siren sounded inside the venue signaling participants to move for the exits.Police officers formed up into lines to prevent people from approaching the affected area.Fire ‘contained,’ no injuries reportedTourism Minister Celso Sabino said on Brazilian television soon after that “the incident has already been contained” and that he was not aware of any injuries. Sabino also said he did not yet know whether it would be possible for delegates to return and continue negotiations on Thursday, or whether proceedings would have to be delayed until Friday. “Firefighters and security teams responded promptly and continue to monitor the site,” Brazil’s COP30 organizers said in a statement.Final phases of two-week summitThe two-week global climate summit, drawing in tens of thousands of people from around the world, is reaching its final phases.The nominal last day is Friday, November 21, but in past years, extensions seeking a consensus on a pledge or pledges among various national governments have been common. The summit had already missed a self-imposed deadline of Wednesday to reach agreements on issues like how to increase climate finance and forming a roadmap to move away from fossil fuels, implying delays could be possible even before Thursday’s fire.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had urged negotiators to “engage in good faith” and seek an “amibitous compromise” in comments earlier on Thursday. “The world is watching Belem,” he told reporters at a morning news conference. “Communities on the frontline are watching, too — counting flooded homes, failed harvests, lost livelihoods, and asking, how much more must we suffer?”
