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MADRID

Flambéed dish sparks Spain restaurant fire, killing two

Two people died and ten were injured in a fire sparked when a waiter at a Madrid restaurant flambéed a dish, accidentally setting decorations ablaze, authorities and local media reported Saturday.

Flambe
Two casualties were reported among the 12 individuals treated by Madrid's SAMUR emergency services in relation to the incident. Photo by Johnathan Macedo on Unsplash

Madrid’s SAMUR emergency services “treated 12 people in this disaster,” two of whom died, Montse Marcos, a manager at the organisation, told journalists.

Among the ten injured in the blaze at the Italian restaurant in the west of the Spanish capital Friday night, six were taken to hospital with serious injuries, she said.

Witnesses told the El Pais daily that the waiter had poured alcohol over the dish and set it alight, a French technique known as flambéeing. It is often done tableside to dramatic effect and to give the dish a smoky flavour.

The waiter “had the plate in flames in one hand, and the blowtorch in the other. He passed by a column of plants and in a matter of seconds it burned everything”, a diner, who gave her name only as Ruth, told the paper.

According to Spanish media, the waiter was one of those killed, and the other was a patron of the restaurant.

Firefighters were able to respond quickly as their station was only a few hundred metres from the restaurant.

“People came running to the fire station. Our response time was very fast because half of the crew went running and the other half with vehicles,” said Madrid fire chief Carlos Marin.

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WEATHER

IN PICTURES: Violent storm causes chaos across Madrid

An intense storm wreaked havoc across the Spanish capital Madrid on Tuesday night, leaving chaos in its wake. These pictures and videos tell the story.

IN PICTURES: Violent storm causes chaos across Madrid

Madrid firefighters attended a total of 170 callouts on Tuesday night after a violent storm hit the capital. Many of the calls were linked to flooding and fallen trees as well as damage to property.

The storm brought torrential rain, hail showers and strong winds.

Madrid authorities said that the storm was concentrated over a very short period of time and primarily affected the western districts of the capital, such as Moncloa-Aravaca, Chamberí, La Latina, Tetuán and Fuencarral.

The phenomena caused chaos across the city as trees fell, streets were flooded, and water gushed into metro stations and underground garages.

Some reported hail stones as big as three centimetres, causing damage to numerous balconies and terraces across the city. 

There were no serious injuries or deaths reported due to the storm. 

Castilla y León has also been placed on yellow alert due to the strong gusts of wind and the possibility of showers accompanied by hail.

Over the next few days, Spain’s State Meteorological Agency AEMET has predicted more unstable weather across northern and central Spain and a drop in temperatures.

The worst is expected this Friday June 28th, when the storm will cross the entire peninsula towards the northwest.

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