While watching a movie the other night, one of my cats decided that the heavy-duty flashlight that I keep on my stereo shelf didn't need to be there. He promptly knocked it off and it fell right on top of the 5670 tube of my left-channel paramount. This happened while the Paramount was operating!
Surprisingly, I turned the amp off, replaced the tube, and was up and running with no apparent issues or side-effects.
Something tells me that this could have been much, much worse. Since the amp was running I was expecting that there would be more sparks, flames, or at least some smoke but none of that happened. It didn't even blow a fuse or a breaker.
I've attached a picture of the ill-fated 5670. How much worse could this have been?