That is a fascinating point.
I heard there’s also an issue with areas cleared by the construction work. The first thing that grows back are fast-burning grasses rather than typical chaparral flora. Don’t know how important that is.
Because it is fast burning, a hotshot crew might set fire to it as a backfire - it will burn and die out fast but flames won't be extremely high. Once burned it acts as a firebreak for an advancing fire front. This assumes a crew was in an area with grass and would have time to do this to protect structures or themselves. In this case the crew was surrounded by heavy brush when the flames arrived, tried emergency clearing an area but were overwhelmed.
View the video of the site where they were killed with explanation and discussion by Prescott Fire Department Division Chief Darrell Willis.
Granite Mountain Hotshot Shelter Deployment Site, Yarnell, AZ