Two people die, 12 hurt in Madrid restaurant blaze

Rescuers work outside a restaurant following a fire, in Madrid, Spain, April 21, 2023, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. Madrid Emergency Service/Handout via REUTERS

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 told reporters on Saturday outside the building.

Firefighters gather outside a restaurant following a fire, in Madrid, Spain, April 21, 2023, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. Madrid Emergency Service/Handout via REUTERS

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

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 accident.

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.

(Reporting by Graham Keeley, Catherine MacDonald; editing by Jason Neely and Kevin Liffey)