Call it "Swan Bake" -- Potato Stops Ballet, August 17, 2001 7:04 am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Around 2,000 ballet-goers were evacuated from London's prestigious Royal Opera House on Thursday night when a backstage fire alarm went off -- triggered by an exploding baked potato.

"There were wisps of smoke. It took firefighters a while to find the cause of the smoke," a London Fire Brigade spokesman told Reuters.

"Eventually they found a small kitchenette backstage and in a microwave were the remains of an exploded potato."

The audience was allowed back into the building after about 20 minutes to watch the remainder of the ballet.

"No one has claimed ownership of the potato," the spokesman said.

-- Anonymous, August 18, 2001