Talks at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil were disrupted on Thursday after a fire broke out in the venue triggering an evacuation just as negotiators were hunkering down to try to land a deal to strengthen international efforts to address climate change United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had appealed earlier in the day for a deal from the summit welcoming calls from some for clarity on the hotly disputed subject of weaning the world off fossil fuels Officials said the fire which erupted at one of the country exhibition pavilions had been brought under control with no injuries as security personnel ordered thousands of delegates in the sprawling building to go outside Brazils tourism minister Celso Sabino said he did not know when delegates would be able to return Representatives for two separate negotiating teams including the bloc representing small island states said they left the venue awaiting instructions on when they could return The summit in the Amazon city of Belem Brazil had already missed a self-imposed Wednesday deadline to secure agreement among the nearly 200 countries present on issues including how to increase climate finance and shift away from fossil fuels
