Blaze disrupts U.N. climate talks in final days

Buildings evacuated with negotiators still working to resolve contentious issues.

- By SETH BORENSTEIN, MELINA WALLING AND ANTON L. DELGADO

Fire disrupted United Nations climate talks in Brazil on Thursday, 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.

The fire was reported in an area of pavilions where sideline events are held during the annual talks, known this year as COP30. Organizers soon announced that the blaze was under control, but fire officials ordered the entire site evacuated for safety checks and it wasn't 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 the people pushed out of the venue by Brazilian and U.N. security forces.

Tone called time the most precious resource at COP and said he was disappointed it's 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," Tone told the Associated Press.