If it wasn’t, there certainly is info missing from this story.
I think there’s info missing anyways. For example, the Apple Watch Series 7 has a battery life of less than a day. I can’t see that getting longer when it’s overheating. Even if this occurred overnight (“over 2 days (at least)”, IMO, is not what the article says. It could have started overheating at night, and ‘exploded’ early next morning), did he try to recharge the watch after Apple told him not to touch it?
The article writes: "There was no solution or advice provided after this call, just instructions to not touch the watch until he heard back from the company."
I'm honestly surprised that after the Samsung Note fiasco that Apple support is this bad on the topic. I would have expected a dedicated flow for "flagged as high battery combustion risk" from someone like them. I understand that this is a risk with these types of lithium batteries, but if a user calls support for a premium product and support doesn't immediately recognize the situation I entirely blame the company.