When is a landowner responsible for a fire that spreads beyond his property?

Property damages claims:

Here, in the Western Cape; it is now “Fire Season”; and the local authorities have their hands full with seasonal wildfires.

Some of them have been devastating and Bettys Baylost more than 40 dwellings in a wildfire a few weeks ago; which was fanned by gale force winds. That fire was allegedly started as a result of a man deliberately or negligently firing a flare onto the mountainside above the holiday town. He has now appeared in the Caledon Magistrates Court and faces a string of charges.

What is expropriation? Part 1:

The definition of the verb “expropriate” is usually couched as follows: “To take possession of (property), especially for public use, thus divesting the title of the private owner eg the government expropriated the owners land for a road, electricity pylons or for a public recreational area. In plain words, it means “to take something from one person’s possession for another one’s use and benefit.”