Firefighters Watch Couple's Home Burn to the Ground (Because They Hadn't Paid $75 Subscription Fee)

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If this is true it's a sad indication of the lack of humanity in this country.  But of course this is not a historical precedent...

Back in the 1st century B.C. an ambitious Roman businessman named Licinius Crassus was credited with creating the first fire brigade.  Except when he sent his firefighters out, Crassus would offer to buy the burning property for a fraction of the actual value.  If the homeowners accepted, the fire was put out.  If the homeowners refused, Crassus and his firefighters watched the property burn to the ground.  And, thus, Licinius Crassus became one of the wealthiest Romans and used his wealth to back Julius Caesar in his dictatorial aims.