(btw, I am not attacking your morality or Christianity in my comments. I respect, and admire the answers you have given in your posts.)
In need? This is the part I don't think we can assume.
It appears this homeowner had the money, but refused to pay.
It that is true, would you have paid the fee for him?
Oh, I don't assume that this particular fellow was in need. That's just something I threw in my answer to your question.
It appears this homeowner had the money, but refused to pay.
It that is true, would you have paid the fee for him?
If it is true that he refused to pay (we'll see as this story develops), then that would change everything, IMO. In that case, I would just mark it up to a sad ending to a stupid decision.
If I was in a situation like this guy is in, I'd pay the fee to guarantee that there would be a FD there to assist in case of fire. That's a no-brainer to me.