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A deadly house fire in Minnesota that claimed the lives of an NHL journalist and her three children over the weekend does not appear to have been intentional, officials said Monday, citing preliminary results of the investigation.
The White Bear Lake Fire Department released a statement Monday following the Saturday morning fire that claimed the lives of 37-year-old Minnesota Wild correspondent Jessi Pierce and her three children.
The Minnesota Wild reported that journalist Jessi Pierce was killed in a house fire along with her three children. (Minnesota Wild)
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“We are in the very early stages of the investigation and our preliminary findings have not led to any evidence that the fire was set intentionally,” the press release said. “The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The official cause and further information will be released once the investigation is complete.”
Officials said that in addition to the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office, they are “devoting every possible resource to this investigation.”
“Words simply cannot express how devastated we all are,” Guerin said of Pierce. “But, as I mentioned to some of you the other night, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the media, if you’re a player, if you’re a manager, if you’re a coach, we’re all in the sports world and we’re all in the hockey world, and we’re all in this together.” (Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI)
Wild managing director BILL GUERIN calls writer Jessi Pierce a “ray of sunshine” after a heartbreaking death involving her children.
Authorities said Pierce and her children were found dead in the single-family home, and passersby reported seeing flames coming through the roof early Saturday morning. Pierce’s husband, Mike Hinrichs, was reportedly on a business trip out of town at the time of the fire.
Their children, Hudson, Cayden and Avery, were ages 8, 6 and 4.
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin remembers Pierce as a “ray of sunshine.”
Jessi Pierce, left, covered the Minnesota Wild. (Minnesota Wild/AP)
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“Words simply cannot express how devastated we all are,” Guerin said. “But, as I mentioned to some of you the other night, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the media, if you’re a player, if you’re a manager, if you’re a coach, we’re all in the sports world and we’re all in the hockey world, and we’re all in this together.”
Pierce covered the Wild for 10 seasons with NHL.com. His work has also been featured in The Athletic, the B1G Ice Hockey blog, the Minnesota Hockey Journal and Massachusetts Hockey.
