A redditor's gaming mouse spontaneously combusted, nearly causing a house fire. The user, lommelinn, reported waking to the smell of smoke and discovering their Gigabyte M6880X wired optical mouse engulfed in flames. The incident, which occurred while their PC was in sleep mode, resulted in significant damage to the mouse (primarily the top rear panel), their desk, and a nearby modular synthesizer. The room was filled with black smoke and debris.
The Gigabyte M6880X is a relatively standard wired mouse, powered by a low-voltage USB 2.0 connection (5V at 0.5A), making the fire particularly puzzling. Images shared by lommelinn show extensive melting of the mouse's top casing, while the underside remained largely undamaged. The cause of the localized damage is currently unknown.
Gigabyte has officially acknowledged the incident and launched an investigation, contacting lommelinn to offer support and determine the root cause of the failure. In a follow-up post, lommelinn confirmed their PC was in sleep mode at the time and tested the USB port, finding no voltage irregularities. The unexpected event has raised concerns about the potential for unforeseen failures in seemingly innocuous devices.
My Gigabyte mouse caught fire and almost burned down my apartment
by u/lommelinn in pcmasterrace
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