I certainly support staying and defending one's home by clearing combusitbles and using water, but apparently the person arrested had gone to the extent of setting a new fire in an attempt to backburn. It's easy to see how this might not set too well with the firefighters who are trying their hardest to control the fire.
"One man went so far as to set a fire on his property, hoping to create a burn area to protect his home. The fire he set on the east side of Highway 1 near Big Sur River Inn sent ashes spewing over the highway, and authorities arrested Ross Curtis, 48, for setting a fire and disobeying firefighters."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/04/BAMT11K717.DTL&tsp=1
