The way I read it: CPU gets hot, battery damage from overheating begins, computer shuts off. User turns it on again not knowing the state of the electronics inside. Possibly weakened or damaged electronics cause the battery to blow up.
Bad ventilation weakens electronics and continued use causes catastrophic failure. This is not new.
It's far more likely that a defect in the battery caused this. Perhaps the laptop tried to draw too much power from the battery, and it failed.
But if the battery creates the heat, the sensors for CPU temp will react too late.