Wow, that's completely irresponsible, I think. I can't really judge because I don't know life there. But one thing is certain, for the environment and ecosystems, it's really not good.
I had seen something similar once. On the one hand, some plants grow better on slash and burn.
But CO2 emissions are too big not to think about!
These people have been informed many times to not do such things, they are doing it very irresponsibly. You never know when this fire can get out of control and destroy their own homes which are on top.