Why is the location/time period important during the fire at Miss Maudie's?

I'm not sure what you mean about the location, except that Miss Maudie's home was so close to the Finch home that it was a cause for worry..... if the fire had spread it would have been devastating to the neighborhood. The other factor of the setting was the cold.... and the fact that fire spreads quicker and is harder to containin freezing temperatures.