Two people died and ten were injured in a fire at a restaurant in the Spanish capital of Madrid. The fire broke out late Friday evening near the only exit of the restaurant and spread quickly, according to the fire department. Some of the guests fled to the back of the restaurant from where they could not escape.
Since the nearest fire station was only a few meters away, the fire in Plaza Manuel Becerra was soon extinguished and those trapped were freed, said a fire department spokesman. For two people, however, any help came too late.
An eyewitness told the newspaper “El País” that a waiter accidentally set fire to plastic flowers that were used to decorate the ceiling and some of the walls of the restaurant while flambéing a meal. The flames spread at lightning speed and acrid smoke even made it impossible to breathe on the street in front of the restaurant, another witness was quoted as saying.
