Ignis suus

Ignis suus, Latin for his fire and sometimes written ignus suus, is a common law principle about an occupier's liability for damage caused by the spread of fire. Traditionally it imposes strict liability. The rule was cited in Burnie Port Authority v General Jones Pty Ltd before the Supreme Court of Tasmania. On appeal, the High Court of Australia rejected it as inappropriate for modern circumstances, held that it had never been introduced into Australian law, and held that it had been absorbed into the rule in Rylands v Fletcher. The majority, led by Chief Justice Mason, found that both ignis suus and the Rylands and Fletcher rule were absorbed into the tort of negligence.