Two people were killed and 10 injured in a fire that broke out in Madrid on Friday night at a restaurant serving a flambé dish, authorities and the press reported on Saturday citing witnesses.
The Spanish capital’s emergency service treated 12 people involved in this incident, two of whom died, an official told reporters.
Of the 10 injured in the fire at the Italian restaurant – Burro Canaglia Bar&Resto – in a western district of the Spanish capital, six “have been transferred in serious condition to different hospitals in Madrid”, while the other four others were less seriously affected.
Witnesses quoted by the daily paper El País said the fire broke out while a waiter was flaming a dish on his plate. The fire quickly spread through the plants decorating the establishment.
6 de los heridos han sido trasladados por @SAMUR_PC a distintos hospitales con pronóstico grave. Además hay otros 4 pacientes leves. Ha colaborado #SUMM112. 12 dotaciones de @BomberosMad han extinguido el incendio que se ha propagado rápidamente por el techo del restaurante. pic.twitter.com/H8JSWWW66d
— Emergencias Madrid (@EmergenciasMad) April 21, 2023
Tweet translation: 6 of the injured have been taken by Samur emergency services to hospital with serious injuries. 4 others are being attended to. 12 firefighters put out the blaze which spread rapidly along the restaurant ceiling.
“One of the waiters was about to put the finishing touches on a plate with a blowtorch to set it alight. He held the burning plate in one hand and the torch in the other. He went near the plants and in a few seconds everything burned,” a customer told the newspaper.
Spanish media report that one of the dead was the waiter and the other a customer.
Firefighters were able to respond quickly as their fire station was about 400 metres from the scene and several people ran to warn them of the unfolding drama.
An investigation by the national police has been launched following the tragedy.
