And no, there's nothing "fishy" about the story. This guy has spent way too much time playing with chemicals in his suburban home, and in the process, has created an enormous amount of highly-unstable, yet incredibly explosive compound. There's not way to clear out the materials without risking a massive explosion. So, the most prudent public safety solution is to evacuate and burn it to the ground.
So FIRE and HEAT...
Sorry, can’t convince me this is going to come off as anything like a controlled burn.
I read the story. It doesn't mention who owns the house, only the name of the renter.
Fox News is reporting the man is a Serb.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/26/owner-biggest-homemade-bomb-arsenel-mystery-man/
If I were to speculate based on his age, he may have learned his bomb making craft in the Kosovo conflict when the Serbs were fighting the KLA.