I noticed that the datasheet specifies recommended operating power as 0.5W (under electrical specifications). For a 10k "pot" you would then need to supply about 7mA at 70V. For 5V this would be 100mA which may indeed burn the sensor if it expects 7mA only.
All in all I think the datasheet is at best unclear (why label plus and ground on a pot - they should be interchangeable for pure resistive loads). Perhaps you need to give the supplier a call to find out what the real interface requirements are.