I think from the point of view of the drone operator, they want to take pictures of the fire, just as photographers/journalist on the ground are taking pictures. Look at all the photos on that article. Someone will want their own photos, from a different view. And if it wasn't illegal, you would expect media organisations would be looking to buy those photos.
People are so used to taking pictures of everything and posting on social media; breakfast, lunch, different angles of their face 50x a day. Sad, but not surprising when people are becoming more narcissistic, and never think beyond what they want.
Depending on where and how high that drone is, I don't understand why firefighters need to stop their work. I doubt the drone would be right above the flames (the heat and updraft would've melted the drone), and firefighting planes are flying over the flames to try to put them out. And if the drone was really over the fire and the planes dump fire-retardant on the drone, it's not really a problem.