Gaming Mouse Overheats, Nearly Causes Apartment Fire

When it comes to PC peripherals, the last thing you’d expect is for your mouse to catch fire—especially while your computer is in sleep mode. Yet that’s exactly what happened to Reddit user lommelinn, whose Gigabyte M6880X gaming mouse reportedly burst into flames and nearly caused a devastating fire in their apartment.

In a now-viral Reddit post on the r/pcmasterrace subreddit, lommelinn recounted how they woke up to the smell of smoke early one morning. Rushing into their room, they discovered the M6880X engulfed in flames, filling the room with thick black smoke. The user quickly extinguished the fire but ended up inhaling a significant amount of smoke. Their room was left covered in soot, and even their modular synth gear suffered damage.

“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,” wrote lommelinn.

The Gigabyte M6880X is a wired optical gaming mouse powered via USB 2.0, which typically provides only 5V at 0.5A. With no internal battery and minimal power draw, the occurrence of such a catastrophic failure has raised serious concerns among users. Photos shared by lommelinn show the top rear casing of the mouse completely melted away, while the underside remained largely intact—a puzzling pattern that experts and enthusiasts alike are trying to understand. Damage to the desk and mousepad was also visible.

In response to the incident, Gigabyte officially acknowledged the situation and confirmed an ongoing investigation:

“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.

Lommelinn later followed up with additional details, emphasizing that the fire occurred while the PC was in sleep mode. After inspecting the USB port with a voltage meter, they found no issues with the power delivery, leaving the cause of the incident even more mysterious. “No clue how this can happen,” they added.

This alarming event serves as a rare but important reminder of the potential risks associated with electronic devices—even those as seemingly innocuous as a gaming mouse. While investigations continue, users are advised to remain vigilant about the condition and usage of older peripherals connected to their systems.