Too Hot to Handle: Gaming Mouse Allegedly Burst Into Flame and Almost “Burned Down” User's Apartment

A redditor's gaming mouse spontaneously combusted, nearly causing a house fire. The user, u/lommelinn, reported waking to the smell of smoke and discovering their Gigabyte M6880X mouse engulfed in flames while their PC was in sleep mode. The incident resulted in significant damage to the mouse, their desk, and surrounding items, including a modular synthesizer.

The Gigabyte M6880X is an older wired optical mouse, powered by a standard USB 2.0 connection (5V at 0.5A). The lack of an internal battery makes the fire's origin particularly puzzling. Images show the mouse's top rear panel completely melted, while the underside remained relatively undamaged. The reason for this localized damage is currently unknown. Images also depict damage to the user's desk and mousepad.

My Gigabyte mouse caught fire and almost burned down my apartment by u/lommelinn in pcmasterrace

Gigabyte officially responded to the incident on the Reddit thread, stating that they are investigating the matter and have contacted the user to offer support.

“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.”

The user, in a follow-up post, reiterated their astonishment, emphasizing that their PC was in sleep mode and that subsequent voltage checks on the USB port revealed no anomalies. The cause of the fire remains a mystery.