PM-
Your explanation of the issue with cutting off a house’s the main gas line makes sense. I don’t know how quickly a burner’s fire would be reduced in that case, since I never tried it (and don’t intend to).
As I said before, I have zero doubt that there were people who were matir turning off piloted stovetop burners, because I myself know of people who did so. I have no way of knowing if they were mistaken due to lack of knowledge regarding how the stove worked, or there was some other reason they felt it was OK.
It seems to me that Rav Auerbach zatzal is saying that in order to be considered a grama, as opposed to a direct act, two things are required:
1) Indirectness
2) Non-immediate results (five seconds is about toich kidei dibbur – is this coincidental?)
Are the above conclusions correct?
Is there a consensus that agrees, disagrees, both, or is this a question that is not widely addressed?
Thanks to all who presented their svoros with mekoros. I, for one, did some extra learning just reading thru this thread and (in some cases) opening the seforim (e-daf) and seeing for myself.