That's hardly surprising. You have a high-speed frontal collision, a fuel line gets ruptured and high-pressure gasoline comes squirting out onto a hot engine (b

That's hardly surprising. You have a high-speed frontal collision, a fuel line gets ruptured and high-pressure gasoline comes squirting out onto a hot engine (bonus points if it hits the exhaust manifold) with plenty of airflow. Under those circumstances a fire is far from unlikely. But that wasn't what OP was talking about.