If you go to somewhere in Australia a year or better two years after they had a forest fire, it's amazing to see all the new growth. Forest fires are absolutely a vital part of nature clearing an area and restarting ... healthy forests need it to happen every so often. Although it is kind of harsh to see singed koalas that get caught up in these fires
But really they would be better off not letting humans live too close to these forests than spending so much on putting the fires out. Just let them burn, in a controlled fashion, up to well made perimeters or dividing lines.