A house fire in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, that killed NHL reporter Jessi Pierce and her three young children early on Saturday does not appear to have been intentional, according to preliminary findings released by local officials on Monday.^[1]

Pierce, 37, served as a correspondent covering the Minnesota Wild, the NHL franchise based in nearby Saint Paul.^[2] She and her children—Hudson, 8; Cayden, 6; and Avery, 4—were found deceased inside the single-family home.^[1] Her husband, Mike Hinrichs, was out of town for work at the time.^[1]

The White Bear Lake Fire Department stated: "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 cause of the fire is still under investigation."^[1] The department is working with the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Pierce had covered the Wild for NHL.com over 10 seasons. Her reporting also appeared in The Athletic, B1G Ice Hockey blog, Minnesota Hockey Journal and Massachusetts Hockey.^[1]

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who has led the team since December 2019,^[3] described Pierce as a "ray of sunshine" and expressed devastation across the hockey community.^[1] "Words just can’t express how devastated we all are," Guerin said. "It doesn’t matter if you’re in the media, if you’re a player, if you’re in management, a coach, we are all in the sports world and the hockey world, and we’re all in this together."^[1]

The Minnesota Wild compete in the NHL's Central Division at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul.^[2]

Sources

1. Fox News Digital; "A deadly house fire in Minnesota that claimed the lives of an NHL reporter and her three children"; Accessed October 2024; https://www.foxnews.com/sports
2. NHL.com; "Minnesota Wild Team Page"; Accessed October 2024; https://www.nhl.com/wild/team
3. NHL.com; "Bill Guerin Profile"; Accessed October 2024; https://www.nhl.com/wild/team/bill-guerin