Making sure the FD wouldn't put out the fire so that he could collect the full amount on the house , because he refused to pay the bill, is just a coincidence.
If you are implying he made the conscientious decision not to cover his house so he could torch it that’s a possibility I would not deny...of course proving it would be next to impossible!
If the fire department had no permission to enter the property because the home owner paid no fee, could they have been sued for trespassing?