מִצְוַת בֵּית דִּין לָדוּן בְּנִזְקֵי הָאֵשׁ – לָדוּן וּלְחַיֵּב לְשַׁלֵּם מִי שֶׁהִזִּיק חֲבֵרוֹ בָּאֵשׁ, כְּגוֹן שֶׁהִדְלִיק אֶת גְּדִישׁוֹ אוֹ שָׂרַף לוֹ שׁוּם דָּבָר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כב ה) כִּי תֵצֵא אֵשׁ וְגוֹ'. פֵּרוּשׁ (ב"ק כב, ב) תֵצֵא מַשְׁמַע אֲפִלּוּ יָצְאָה מֵעַצְמָהּ, וּבָא לְהַזְהִיר שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ הַמַּדְלִיק בְּתוֹךְ שֶׁלּוֹ וְיָצְאָה מֵעַצְמָהּ וְהִזִּיקָה שֶׁחַיָּב, לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא שָׁמַר גַּחַלְתּוֹ, שֶׁהָאָדָם חַיָּב לְשַׁמֵּר אִשּׁוֹ שֶׁלֹּא תֵּצֵא וְתַזִּיק, שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הָאֵשׁ לָלֶכֶת מֵעַצְמָהּ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ בַּעַל חַיִּים. The commandment on the court to judge damages from fire: To judge and obligate one who has damaged his fellow with fire to pay — for example, [if] he lit his stockpile or burned anything of his — as it is stated (Exodus 22:5), “If a fire goes out, etc.” The understanding of “goes out” implies even if it went out on its own (Bava Batra 22b), and it comes to warn even if one lit [a fire] on his own [property] and it went out on its own and it damaged, that he is liable — since he did not watch his coals. As a man is obligated to watch his fire that it not [spread] and damage, since it is the way of fire to spread on its own, even though it is not a living being.
שָׁרְשָׁהּ יָדוּעַ כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ. Its root is well-known, as we said.
דִּינֶיהָ כְּגוֹן שִׁעוּר הַהַרְחָקָה שֶׁמַּרְחִיקִין בְּעֵרָה מִן הַמֶּצֶר, שֶׁהוּא לְפִי גָּבְהָהּ שֶׁל דְּלֵקָה, (שם סא, ב) וְדִין (שם נט, ב) הַשּׁוֹלְחָהּ בְּיַד חֵרֵשׁ שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן אוֹ פִּקֵּחַ, וְדִין הָרַבִּים, שֶׁאֶחָד הֵבִיא הָאוּר וְאֶחָד הֵבִיא עֵצִים וְאֶחָד לִבָּה, וְלִבָּה וְלִבַּתּוּ הָרוּחַ, וְדִין כֵּלִים טְמוּנִים בַּגָּדִישׁ אוֹ טְמוּנִים בְּבִירָה, וְדִין (שם סב, ב) גָּמָל עוֹבֵר טָעוּן פִּשְׁתָּן וְדָלְקָה בְּנֵר חֶנְוָנִי מַה דִּינוֹ, אוֹ בְּנֵר חֲנֻכָּה. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִים בְּפֶרֶק שֵׁנִי וְשִׁשִּׁי מִן קַמָּא (ה' נזקי ממון פ' י"ד). Its laws — for example, the quantity of the distance that we must distance the [fire] from the [property’s] border, which is according to the height of the fire (Bava Batra 61a); the law of one who sends it in the hand of a deaf-mute, someone mentally incapacitated, a child, or [he sends it with] someone capable; the law of a group in which one brings the fire, another brings the wood and another stokes [it]; if he stoked it and the wind stoked it; the law of vessels hidden in the stockpile or hidden in the compound; what is the law (Bava Batra 62b) of a passing camel laden with flax that was lit by the candle of a storekeeper or by a Channukah light; and the rest of its details — are [all] elucidated in the second and sixth chapters of [Bava] Kamma. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Damages to Property 14.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְכָרִים, כִּי לָהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת דִּין. וּבֵית דִּין הָעוֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ וְלֹא דָּן אֶת הַמַּזִּיק בְּתַשְׁלוּמִין כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב, בִּטֵּל עֲשֵׂה. And [it] is practiced by males, as it is upon them to administer justice. And a court that transgresses it and does not judge the damager with payments — [according to what] is written — has violated a positive commandment.