Landlord Is Trying To Make Me Pay (<$800) For Burn Damages On A Fridge Due To A Gas Stove Being Next To It. Would It Make Sense To Take This Through Small Claims Court?

Location: Tucson, Arizona

My unit has a gas stove butted up against a fridge. I used a large pot on the burner next to the fridge to boil water. When I removed the pot, there was a burn mark I couldn't erase. I'm unsure if I should be 100% liable for the damages as I was using the stove for its intended purpose. However, I could be wrong which is why I'd like to see other people's perspective on this to decide if I would have a case in a small claims court.

The fridge was functioning just fine when I moved out. The fridge was about 2 years old and a new one costs about $800, but my landlord says he'll try repairing it to mitigate the costs to me.

Picture of damage here.

For context, I've grown up only using electric stovetops. Plus, every stovetop I've used always had some countertop space next to it so it never occurred to me that a gas stove next to a fridge would burn it.

Summary of some things mentioned in threads below

• This is money that would potentially be deducted from my security deposit.
• Lease agreement states electric stove, despite the image clearly showing a gas stove.
• GE has installation instructions here that lists clearances for gas ranges. On the figure in page 2, dimension "A" and "B" states a minimum clearance between the stove & wall must be 2" for a 4-burner setup or 6" for a 5-burner setup. The picture I posted above shows maybe 0.5" if we're being generous.
• I'm looking into building code laws that apply to Arizona to see if there's a statement about this.