In any event, Fields said he didn’t think he needed the engines when planning for the windstorm because they would not necessarily have been a “game changer.”

“I would not say that we would necessarily exclude anyone, but we do know that not all homeowners are in the same position. Some had insurance. Some didn’t have insurance,” she said.

So I don't even think it's necessarily a question of legality at all.

And while Dodgers decision-makers didn’t necessarily subscribe to the theory, they were admittedly unsure if the dynamic would impede their trans-Pacific triple play.

One thing to keep in mind about such fires, Wara said, is that it is not necessarily the case that there is a single origin or cause.