If someone were to do that, which seems unlikely, yes that could generate enough heat to start the fire.
Close. The 3 men arrested in connection to the fire are homeless crack smokers. This place was ideal. Underneath a box shaped area of overpasses, piles of plastic pipes and conduit that had been there for at least 4 years. All kinds of nooks and crannies to hide in. Shelter from the rain.
A homeless man's dream.