Two killed in restaurant fire started ‘by waiter flambe-ing a desert’ as flames tore through plastic plants

TWO people have died and ten injured in a Madrid restaurant fire believed to have started while a waiter was flambe-ing a dessert. The flames reportedly reached the ceiling of the eatery called Burro Canaglia and spread rapidly along walls decorated with plastic plants. Ambulances outside the restaurant The two victims are aged between 25 and 30 and one has already been identified as a worker at the restaurant, in a square in Madrid’s upmarket Salamanca neighbourhood. Six of the injured were taken to hospital in the aftermath of the blaze, which broke out around 11pm last on Friday night, with all described as being in a serious condition and one critical. Some of the customers are understood to have been celebrating a birthday, although it was not immediately clear this if they were among the casualties. Passers-by are said to have kicked in the front windows to try to help those caught up in the tragedy escape after they were trapped by flames and black smoke and prevented from reaching the only exit. Footage from the scene showed emergency responders stretchering some of the most seriously injured to hospital after fire-fighters had rescued a dozen people inside the restaurant. Emergency services co-ordinator Emergencies Madrid confirmed: “A fire in a restaurant in Manuel Becerra Square has resulted in the deaths of two people. “Six people hurt have been taken to different hospitals in a serious condition. Four other people suffered minor injuries. “Twelve firefighter crews have put out the fire that spread quickly across the restaurant ceiling. “They also rescued several people, clients and employees.” One of the customers, who managed to escape and reach the street as the fire was still raging, said: “Everyone began to shout and scream for help. “They were moments of panic because there were people trapped who couldn’t escape because of the fire and the smoke. Several of the people rescued by firefighters from inside the premises were said to have unconscious when they were brought our and laid on the pavement while paramedics tried to revive them. Firefighter chief Carlos Marin said: “People came running to the fire station which is only about 400 metres from the restaurant“Our response was very quick because half of us responded by running to the scene on foot and the other half in vehicles. “People were trapped inside when we arrived and after extinguishing the flames, we performed 12 rescues. “They were trapped because the flames were preventing them from reaching the exit.” A police probe into the incident, overseen by a local investigating judge, has been launched and was ongoing.