Minnesota fire that killed NHL reporter and her three children not believed to be intentional, officials say

Officials sat preliminary evidence has not pointed to arson, with the official cause still under investigation

A firefighter A deadly house fire in Minnesota that claimed the lives of an NHL reporter and her three children over the weekend does not appear to have been intentional, officials said Monday, citing preliminary investigative findings.

The White Bear Lake Fire Department released a statement Monday following the Saturday morning fire that claimed the life of 37-year-old Minnesota Wild correspondent Jessi Pierce and her three children.

The Minnesota Wild announced that reporter Jessi Pierce was killed in a house fire along with her three children. (Minnesota Wild)

“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 read. “The cause of the fire is still 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 “dedicating all possible resources to this investigation.”

“Words just can’t 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 in management, a coach, we are all in the sports world and the hockey world, and we’re all in this together.” (Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI)

Officials said Pierce and her children were found deceased in the single-family home, which bystanders reported seeing flames coming through the roof early Saturday morning. Pierce’s husband, Mike Hinrichs, was reportedly out of town on a work trip at the time of the fire.

Their children, Hudson, Cayden and Avery, were 8, 6 and 4 years old.

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin remembered Pierce as a “ray of sunshine.”

Jessi Pierce, left, covered the Minnesota Wild. (Minnesota Wild/AP)

“Words just can’t 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 in management, a coach, we are all in the sports world and the hockey world, and we’re all in this together.”

Pierce covered the Wild for 10 seasons with NHL.com. She also had her work featured in The Athletic, B1G Ice Hockey blog, the Minnesota Hockey Journal and Massachusetts Hockey.