A network user reported an unusual incident with a Gigabyte M6880X gaming mouse: the device suddenly caught fire, leaving a charred mark on the table. The manufacturer has not yet commented on the situation, however, as noted by the Tom's Hardware portal, this model was released more than ten years ago and has long been discontinued.

What could have caused the fire?

Although cases of spontaneous combustion of peripheral devices are extremely rare, experts suggest that the following could have been the cause:

  • Natural wear and tear of components. Over time, old devices can become less reliable, especially with regular use.
  • Short circuit. A power failure due to damaged or worn out components could also have caused the fire.

The USB 2.0 standard, which this mouse belongs to, provides a current of 5 V and 0.5 A. Modern motherboards and power supplies are equipped with protection against power surges, which makes such incidents isolated and unlikely.

Incident details

The photos provided by the user show that the front of the mouse was almost undamaged, while the back was seriously damaged by fire. Why the fire started in this particular part of the device remains unclear and requires further investigation.

The fire also caused damage to the gamer's workstation, leaving a burn mark on the table and damaging the mouse pad.

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Previous incidents with Gigabyte

The incident with the Gigabyte M6880X mouse appears to be isolated, as there have been no complaints about this model before. However, in 2021, the company came under criticism due to the high failure rate of some power supplies, which were nicknamed "time bombs".