In one case,they found that they dude who was setting the fires did so because the fires brought his truck-rental company extra money.
Our anger towards the individual whose act has killed the four firefighters is contrasted by words which only a forgiving mother could speak:
It is so hard to understand. Even harder to forgive. I don’t know if I can.
Do not pass go, do not collect $200.00, right this way to the execution chamber Mr. Oyler.
If, of course, he did it.
Last year, some guys went for a BBQ in Guadalajara (Spain) in the summer. Fires in wild zones had been forbidden for months because of the even-drier-than-usual weather. The BBQ area had police tape around it.
These guys cut the tape and proceeded to light up.
15 firefighters dead 
I don’t think anyone mentioned it upthread, but the fifth firefighter died as well (when he was rescued, while the others were already dead, he had third degree burns over 95% of his body).
Sometimes I wonder if firefighters really should be defending all the properties they try to defend. Especially up in the hills where there’s more bush than buildings. Saving someone’s home is admirable, but a house is ultimately not worth a firefighter’s life.
Start with Peshtigo, read about 1910, Mann Gulch, et. al.-we’ve been fighting this battle for over a century. There’s no easy answer.
The way I understand it, the firefighter upper echelon determine what the threat will be if they do not protect a particular structure or group of trees. If the threat to the community is too great, then they fight it. Otherwise they try to contain it.