TWO people have died and another ten are injured after a horror restaurant fire believed to have started while a waiter was flambe-ing a dessert.
The flames tore through the Burro Canaglia Bar&Resto in Madrid and reportedly roared as high as the ceiling as diners watched in horror.
Customers struggled to escape the inferno as it rapidly engulfed the walls decorated with plastic plants at the eatery on Friday night.
The two victims were both young men aged between 25 and 30, police said.
One has already been identified as a worker at the restaurant, which is situated in a square in the upmarket Salamanca neighbourhood of the Spanish capital.
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Six of the injured were taken to local hospitals in the aftermath of the blaze, which broke out around 11pm.
All were described as being in a serious condition and one is critical.
Eyewitnesses have claimed the deadly fire erupted as one of the waiters set a dessert alight.
Some diners are understood to have been celebrating a birthday, but it was not immediately clear if they were among the casualties.
The flames spread "very quickly" through the gastro restaurant and devastated the building in a matter of seconds.
Passers-by are said to have kicked in the front windows to try to help those caught up in the tragedy escape.
Customers were terrifyingly trapped by flames and black smoke, preventing them from reaching the only exit.
Footage from the scene showed emergency responders stretchering some of the most seriously injured to hospital after firefighters 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.
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“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 from inside the premises were said to have been unconscious when they were brought out 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.
Regional President Isabel Diaz Ayuso said of the tragedy: "All my love to the relatives of those who died in the Manuel Becerra fire and my wish for a speedy recovery to the injured.
"Thank you, once again, to the emergency services for their extraordinary work."
Burro Cangalia, which opened in 2021, has the capacity for up to 100 diners and boasts a large outdoor terrace.
