Burning potato clears opera house

Thousands were forced to wait outside the Royal Opera House

LONDON, England -- A burning potato led to the evacuation of London's Royal Opera House during a performance by the San Francisco Ballet.

Around 2,000 people were forced to wait outside the building after an alarm sounded during the second interval on Thursday night.

The alert was caused by a potato which was being cooked in a microwave by a dancer.

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said the audience was allowed back in to the building in Covent Garden after a wait of about 20 minutes while the cause of the alarm was established.

"The microwave seemed fine but there wasn't much left of the potato," he said.

A spokeswoman for the San Francisco Ballet, which is performing at the venue this week, said the fire broke out in a backstage room used by the dancers to prepare food.

"Nobody has owned up to it yet but fortunately it happened during the second interval," she said.

"The audience waited for around 20 minutes outside which was the length of the break. They only missed out on their drinks.''