His major mistake, besides using too much fluid, was lighting it immediately after he poured on the fluid. Every can of it I have ever seen, instructs you to let it soak in before lighting.
Yep, when I use it to start a fire in a large, wet pile of brush and limbs, I roll up six or eight newspaper sections, tie them with twist ties, then soak that with charcoal starter fluid. Works great and burns long enough to dry out leaves and small twigs, and then burn through a large pile.