A nail salon owner in Kansas City’s old Northeast deliberately started a fire in her shop earlier this month that killed two Kansas City firefighters battling the blaze, investigators alleged Tuesday.
Previous coverage of fire here & here
Prosecutors charged Thu Hong Nguyen, 43, of Kansas City, with first-degree arson and two counts of second-degree murder, or felony murder because the deaths happened as a result of the arson. Arrested Monday, Nguyen was being held Tuesday with bond set at $2 million.
Kansas City firefighters Larry Leggio and John Mesh died fighting the Oct. 12 blaze in a building at 2608 Independence Blvd. when a wall collapsed on the structure’s east side, spewing bricks and other debris into the alley where the firefighters stood. Two other firefighters were injured.