Natal, Brazil – A powerful fire tore through the nearly completed 35 meter statue of Nossa Senhora de Fatima in the Pajuçara neighborhood, Zona Norte of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, on the afternoon of February 24, 2026.

Footage from the construction site shows the towering metal and fiberglass structure fully engulfed. Bright orange flames surge from the base and midsection, wrapping around the flowing robes and outstretched arms of the Virgin Mary figure.

Thick black smoke rises in heavy columns above nearby buildings and palm trees as scaffolding, wooden formwork, and exterior layers burn rapidly. The camera captures the exposed metal framework glowing and bending under the intense heat, while fragments of burning material break off and fall.

Smaller flames flicker along the shoulders and torso. For a time, the head and golden crown remain untouched at the top, standing starkly above the inferno below. Firefighters direct streams of water upward, but the blaze appears overwhelming.

Wider shots reveal the scale of destruction against the Natal skyline. Onlookers gather at a safe distance as emergency lights flash nearby.

By the end, the monument is reduced to a blackened, smoking shell, destroyed before it could be inaugurated.

Authorities reported the fire was most likely caused by a short circuit in a welding machine during final assembly. One worker suffered minor burns to his hands and received treatment at the scene. The head and crown survived intact, and officials immediately confirmed the statue will be rebuilt. Many described the event as “a test of devotion” even before the monument was completed.

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