This is the frightening moment a mouse almost caused a fire by wandering across a kitchen table in China.

The mischievous rodent was spotted exploring leftover food on the table and accidentally turned on an induction cooker in Laibin, Guangxi, on May 2.

CCTV footage shows the animal climbing on a wooden chair and sniffing around when it stepped on the button of the electric stove.

Hearing the noise from the appliance, it was startled and ran away.

Moments later, smoke can be seen emitting from the metal pot, and the room eventually filled with thick fumes, almost leading to a fire.

Fortunately, some employees arrived early and saw the smoke. They immediately turned off the power, preventing a fire.

Mr Tan, the homeowner, said: 'There are no rats in the store, but after inspecting the room where the rodent came from, we discovered a hole in the ceiling where they enter.'