Salon manager on trial in blaze that killed 2 firefighters

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A nail salon manager accused of starting a fire that killed two Kansas City firefighters is going on trial.

Thu Hong Nguyen is charged with arson, second-degree murder and causing a catastrophe in the October 2015 fire that killed 43-year-old Larry Leggio and 39-year-old John Mesh.

The Kansas City Star reports that a judge will hear the case against the 46-year-old woman on Monday. She has pleaded not guilty.

The blaze started in the storeroom of a nail salon that Nguyen was the last person seen leaving. An exterior brick wall collapsed, killing Leggio and Mesh and seriously injuring two other firefighters.

Court documents show Nguyen has been linked to fires at two other nail salon fires in which she collected insurance payouts.