Around 2,000 people evacuated from UN headquarters after fire alarm

Around 2,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday from the United Nations headquarters complex in New York City after a fire alarm went off in one of the fan rooms in the second basement. [Photo/Xinhua]

UNITED NATIONS - Around 2,000 people were evacuated on Tuesday from the United Nations headquarters complex in New York City after a fire alarm went off in one of the fan rooms in the second basement.

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters that "we have to evacuate as a precaution in case of a potential fire, but the alarm was checked and there was no fire."

"It was a problem potentially with the alarms," he noted in a briefing.

UN staff, diplomats, and visitors were allowed back into the buildings after the alarm was canceled within half an hour.

Haq said the Fire Department of New York came and helped find out that the rooms did not have fire conditions.

Meetings held at the UN headquarters were delayed, including a Security Council open meeting on the situation in Haiti.

Fire drills have been conducted regularly at the UN headquarters, though evacuation was rare in recent years.