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At least two people have died and another ten were injured after a waiter flambéed a dish, accidentally setting fire to an Italian restaurant on a busy Friday evening in Madrid.

One of the injured is in a critical condition and five others have serious injuries.

Plastic plants in the restaurant caught fire during the flambé process, and the flames rapidly spread.

Flambéeing is a technique that involves setting food alight.

The food is usually covered in spirits and set alight for dramatic effect, sometimes giving it a smoky flavour.

The fire broke out near the entrance of the Burro Canaglia restaurant, which made it harder for people to escape, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported.

The paper also reported that one of those who died was an employee.

Though the blaze was extinguished quickly, it was "extremely intense" and generated "a lot of smoke," the Mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said.

The mayor said there had been about 30 diners and staff members in the restaurant at the time of the fire.

He warned there would have been more victims had the firefighters taken longer to attend the scene, adding that it was extinguished within 10 minutes from the first warning of the blaze.

Police have launched an investigation into the causes of the fire.