A mischievous mouse caused major disruption at a German television station after chewing through electrical cables, sparking a fire scare and forcing staff to evacuate the building.
The incident occurred at the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) studios in Berlin, where the rodent's nibbling triggered smoke alarms on Wednesday morning. Firefighters rushed to the scene but found no flames—just a very guilty-looking mouse near the damaged wiring.
Small Rodent, Big Consequences
What began as a simple case of rodent mischief quickly escalated when the mouse's chewing caused electrical arcing, producing enough smoke to set off the building's fire detection system. Employees were promptly evacuated as emergency protocols swung into action.
A WDR spokesperson confirmed: "The fire brigade gave the all-clear after establishing there was no actual fire—just a mouse that had bitten through cables."
Not the First Rodent-Related Incident
This isn't the first time small animals have caused problems for German broadcasters. In 2019, WDR's Cologne headquarters experienced similar issues when martens—small carnivorous mammals—chewed through cables, disrupting broadcasts.
The latest incident raises questions about pest control measures at media facilities, particularly given the potential for such events to interrupt vital broadcasting operations.
While no humans were harmed in the incident, the fate of the cable-chewing mouse remains unknown. One thing's certain—this tiny rodent proved that even the smallest creatures can cause big problems when they set their minds to it.
