Electrical Malfunction Ruled Cause of Fatal Minnesota House Fire
The blaze that claimed the lives of reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children was accidental, according to investigators.
The Minnesota house fire that killed NHL.com reporter Jessi Pierce and her three young children in March was accidental and caused by an electrical malfunction, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Fire Marshal division announced Thursday.
Purchased in 1952, the home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, had been wired with fewer outlets than modern homes and did not have interconnected smoke alarms. Investigators determined the fire originated from the overheating of electrical equipment in a room that had been used as an office.
Pierce, 37, and her children — Hudson, 8, Cayden, 6, and Avery, 4 — died in the fire on March 21. Her husband, Mike Hinrichs, was out of town for work at the time.
The White Bear Lake Fire Department responded to a neighbor's call at 5:26 a.m. reporting fire coming from the roof of the single-family home. Fire officials ruled out arson six months ago.
While the home had smoke detectors, investigators could not confirm their operational status or exact locations at the time of the fire due to extensive damage from the blaze and the roof collapse. The report indicated that a smoke alarm near the bedroom would have activated about four minutes after the fire began, but the primary escape route would have been nearly impassable by that point.
Hinrichs released a statement Thursday, breaking his previous request for privacy. "On the morning of March 21, my world came crashing down when the lives of my beloved wife, Jessi, and our three beautiful children … were all lost to me forever in the horrible fire that destroyed our home," he stated. "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 expressed gratitude to the community for their support, including over $248,000 raised through a GoFundMe campaign. He also acknowledged the outpouring of support from the hockey community.
"Family always came first for Jessi, but all things hockey ran a close second," Hinrichs said. "She loved the Wild and the game of hockey with boundless enthusiasm and communicated her joy and passion for the sport to all those who could hear her voice."
A new hockey tournament, the Jessi Pierce Community Cup Hockey Tournament, is scheduled to be played in December in her honor.
"This was an absolute tragedy, and six months later, our thoughts remain with the family’s loved ones, their friends, their neighbors and the broader community," said White Bear Lake fire chief Greg Peterson in the release.