The invention relates to a surge arrester which, in a housing (7), has at least one arrester element (3), in particular a varistor, a solder-fixed thermal disconnection point (5), which is connected to the arrester element, and a damage indicating device (11) for displaying the fault state, wherein the damage indicating device also queries the state of a thermal disconnection device, in particular a fuse, and presents the possible fault states of the arrester element and of the disconnection device mechanically in an OR combination in a suitable way. Furthermore the thermal disconnection device comprises a movable component, which is fixed by an indicator wire and is released after the melting or destruction of said wire. According to the invention, a guide part (9) for a compression spring (10) or similar force accumulator is provided on or in the housing, wherein a first spring end acts on the thermal disconnection point directly or indirectly by way of a disconnection plunger or disconnection cylinder, and a second end of the compression spring, opposite of the first end, acts on a slide (8) directly or indirectly by way of a guide ring. Furthermore, the slide is subjected to a force on a first side in the displacement direction directly by a further spring (12) or indirectly by the damage indicating device. The second side of the slide, opposite of the first side, is operatively connected to the movable component of the thermal disconnection device in such a way that it follows the release movement of the movable pin under the action of force from the compression spring. The second side of the slide is designed in such a way that a longitudinal slide movement is able to take place as a result of the force of the further spring with the thermal disconnection point triggered and the component of the thermal disconnection device fixed and also with an unchanged position between the slide and guide part and, furthermore, a reciprocating movement relative to the guide part is able to take place, with a subsequent longitudinal slide movement, with the indicator wire released, together with the movable component of the thermal disconnection device. The second end of the spring or at least part of the guide ring engages in a cutout or depression in the slide in order to lock the latter and the damage indicating device in the proper state of the arrester.