Hundreds of squatters camp on Rome street after fire forces evacuation of Spin Time building

Around 300 residents and 100 children have been living on a Rome sidewalk after police sealed the seven-storey Spin Time building following a minor fire, amid a heatwave above 40 °C.

After a fire broke out on a lower floor of the seven-storey former office building known as Spin Time, police evacuated the structure, which had housed about 300 people from more than 20 countries since 2013. With temperatures climbing past 40 °C, the displaced families, including roughly 100 children, have established a camp on a Rome street near Termini, receiving meals, water, mattresses and clothing from local volunteers.

An open-air cinema has been set up for the youngsters, and a two-year-old once fainted in a Red Cross nurse’s arms. The city offered to buy the building from InvestiRE SGR, but the fund declined, citing safety-standard failures, and the mayor announced plans to provide dignified accommodation within 60 days for eligible households. Activists, supported by Nobel laureate Giorgio Parisi, intend to keep the protest alive, accusing right-wing parties of exploiting the crisis to evict them. The Vatican is monitoring the situation, with Pope Leo XIV meeting community members.