Two Dead As ‘Flambéed Pizza’ Causes Restaurant To Go Up In Smoke

Two men died and 12 others were injured after a freak fire broke out at a restaurant in centre of Madrid during the evening of Friday 21st April.

The blaze started late on Friday night at Burro Canaglia Bar&Resto, an Italian restaurant in the Plaza Manuel Becerra in the central district of Salamanca.

An eyewitness told Spanish media that the fire started after a waiter was flambéing a dish and the flames set fire to the ceiling and walls within seconds.

Diners struggled to flee as the blaze started near the main exit, Madrid´s 112 emergency services said.

Thankfully the local fire brigade is situated just across the plaza and firefighting teams were on the scene in minutes, if not the number of victims could have been many dozens of diners.

It is believed that one of the dead was a restaurant employee and the other a customer.

Madrid´s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida arrived at the horror scene and said that the proximity of the fire station was critical in reducing the number of victims.

“It was very lucky,” he said. “The fire was put out less than 10 minutes after the alarm was raised.”

 “If they’d taken another four or five minutes, there would have been more victims because of the flames and smoke,” the mayor said.

It is believed that one of the dead was a restaurant employee and the other a customer.

Madrid municipal  police are investigating the cause of the fire.
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