A gas appliance has a housing, a reservoir of a gasifiable combustible in the housing, and a nozzle in the housing connected to the reservoir provided with a valve openable for emitting an ignitable stream of the combustible. An igniter in the housing has a relatively stationary first generator part forming a first terminal, a first electrode at the nozzle connected to the first terminal, and a relatively movable second generator part forming a second terminal and movable on the stationary part to generate a potential between the terminals. A depressible button or element displaceable on the housing between upper and lower end positions is connected to the movable generator part for opening the valve and generating the potential between the terminals when moving into the lower end position. A second electrode wholly formed of an elastically deformable conductive metal wire fixed in the housing has one end juxtaposed with the first electrode at the nozzle and another end engageable with the second terminal on the movable part generally on displacement of same into the lower end position.