Imagine your surprise when your trusty gaming mouse, the last thing you'd expect to cause a fire, suddenly bursts into flames. This shocking scenario became a reality for Reddit user lommelinn, who discovered their Gigabyte M6880X mouse ablaze on their desk while their PC was in sleep mode. The incident nearly led to a catastrophic outcome, almost burning down their apartment.
In a detailed post on Reddit, lommelinn shared their harrowing experience: "I smelled smoke early this morning, so I rushed into my room and found my computer mouse burning with large flames. Black smoke filled the room. I quickly extinguished the fire, but inhaled a lot of smoke in the process and my room is in a bad shape now, covered with black particles (my modular synth as well). Fortunately, we avoided the worst, but the fact that this can happen is still shocking. It's an older wired, optical mouse from Gigabyte."
The Gigabyte M6880X is a seemingly ordinary wired gaming mouse, powered via a USB 2.0 port that supplies 5V at 0.5A. The unexpected and severe failure of this device has raised significant concerns. Photos shared by lommelinn show the extent of the damage, with the top rear panel of the mouse completely melted away, while the underside remains relatively unscathed. The cause behind the selective damage to the top casing remains a mystery, as does the damage to the desk and mousepad, which also appear melted.
My Gigabyte mouse caught fire and almost burned down my apartment
by lommelinn in pcmasterrace
Gigabyte responded promptly to the incident, stating in a comment on the Reddit thread: "Hi Everyone, We have been made aware of the incident shared by lommelin regarding the M6880X gaming mice. Our customer's safety is our top priority and we are actively looking into this case. Our team has reached out to lommelin to offer support and to investigate the matter fully. In the meantime, we appreciate the community’s understanding and patience as we work to address this issue. Best, The GIGABYTE Team."
In a follow-up post, lommelinn expressed their continued disbelief at the incident, noting, "My PC was in sleep mode. Since then, I checked the USB port with a voltage meter and it's fine. No clue how this can happen."
