A fire has interrupted proceedings at the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil. Tourism Minister Celso Sabino said that it had been contained without injuries.A fire forced organizers of the UN's COP30 climate talks in Belem in northern Brazil to empty the site on Thursday.

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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."

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Tourism 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.

Final phases of two-week summit

The 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.

More to follow...

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 21, 2025 12:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).