So, suppose all the background was the same ... homeowner didn't pay the fee, despite reminders; house catches on fire accidentally; fire dept rolls out to protect the fee-paying-neighbor's house. Except for this one -- instead of 3 dogs and a cat inside, there were 4 human children inside. Do you think the firefighters would have stood by and watched the house burn in that case?
Following some of the reasoning here, should they have entered the burning house, pulled the children out, and then watched it burn? Or should they have intervened, using their usual methods and saved both the kids and the property? IANAFirefighter, but it seems to me that they would need to use some water on the structure to make it safe for themselves to enter, in order to save the children inside. Once you've gone that far, you might as well put out the fire.