Flambéed pizza causes fire, killing two and injuring 12 in Madrid restaurant

Eyewitness says fire started after a waiter flambéed a pizza and the flames set fire to the ceiling and walls

Two people died and 12 others were injured in a fire at a restaurant in the Spanish capital Madrid, emergency services said on Saturday.

The blaze started late on Friday night at Burro Canaglia Bar&Resto, an Italian restaurant in the central Salamanca neighbourhood.

One of the dead was a restaurant employee and the other was a customer, Madrid mayor Luis Martinez-Almeida said on Saturday outside the building.

An eyewitness told El País newspaper that the fire started after a waiter flambéed a pizza and the flames set fire to the ceiling and walls.

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Madrid fire chief Carlos Martin said the blaze took place near a fire station and people were able to run to alert them about the incident. However, diners found it hard to flee as the blaze started near the main exit, emergency services said.

Police were investigating the cause of the fire. – Reuters