Here's a simper theory: Some kind of structural failure caused a fire and possibly also a decompression - or the other way around. While following the procedur

Here's a simper theory: Some kind of structural failure caused a fire and possibly also a decompression - or the other way around. While following the procedure to handle the problem ( disable AP, descend, turn back, shut down the damaged avionics) the pilots lost consciousness and the plane eventually leveled out and kept flying until it run out of fuel. While it's not likely that something punches a hole in an aeroplane and simultaneously sets it on fire, either from the inside or the outside, it's more likely than any crazy conspiracy theories I've seen so far, including the article.