Officials say fire that killed journalist Jessi Pierce and her 3 children was an accident
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Minnesota fire safety officials say the March fire that killed longtime Minnesota hockey reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children in White Bear Lake was accidental and started by an electrical source.
At a Thursday news conference announcing the preliminary findings of the months-long investigation, State Fire Marshal Dan Krier said the early morning fire was caused by overheating electrical equipment in an office. He said the home was built in 1952, and that older homes generally have fewer electrical outlets, meaning they brought electrical strips into the room to get power.
He said there was an extension cord coming from an adjacent room to bring electricity into the office and other items plugged into the extension cord to have additional outlets available in the room.
Krier also said there were smoke alarms in the home that activated five minutes after the fire started. But the quickly spreading fire may have blocked the main escape path soon after those alarms sounded.
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“That quick development really indicates they had one minute from when they had to be notified,” Krier said. “They were sleeping, to wake up and to make a decision that is life or death decision in one minute is really difficult, and it is something that is very hard.”
Pierce — who also went by Jessi Hinrichs — and her children Hudson, Cayden and Avery, ages 8, 6 and 4, died in the March 21 fire. Pierce’s husband, Mike Hinrichs, was out of town on business at the time of the fire.
In a statement, Mike Hinrich said his “world came crashing down” when he learned they were lost to him “forever.”
“This truly unfathomable loss and all-consuming grief is with me every day and will be forever with every breath God allows me to take,” he said. “My deepest thanks and gratitude go out to all those in the community that have supported me and our other family members in this darkest of times.”
Fire officials in White Bear Lake previously said they did not suspect arson in the fire. Krier said the final written report will be shared in the next 30 days.
The fire left Minnesota’s hockey community in mourning. Pierce had covered the Minnesota Wild for NHL.com for the past decade and co-hosted a hockey podcast. The Jessi Pierce Community Cup Hockey Tournament will be played in December to honor her memory.
