Fire disrupts COP30 climate talks, Chinese pavilion not affected

The Chinese pavilion at the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), which is being held in the Brazilian city of Belem, was not affected by the fire that broke out at the conference on Thursday, the Chinese delegation has confirmed.

The delegation said in a statement sent to Xinhua that the fire did not originate in the Chinese pavilion.

Brazilian Minister of Tourism Celso Sabino said that the fire, which broke out shortly after 2 p.m. local time, was under control within around 30 minutes. Officials said 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation.

Helder Barbalho, governor of the Para state, where Belem is located, told local media that investigators are currently looking into whether the incident was triggered by a generator failure or a short circuit in one of the temporary structures erected for the conference.

The summit in the Amazon city was initially scheduled to wrap up on Friday, but it 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.

The fire scare occurred in what is already a hive of activity during the summit's two-week run, interrupting negotiations inside the venue.

(With input from agencies)