Husband of Jessi Pierce, NHL journalist killed in house fire alongside three children, calls loss "unfathomable"
The husband of Jessi Pierce, an NHL journalist who died in a White Bear Lake, Minnesota, house fire along with her three children in March, released a statement Thursday calling the loss "unfathomable."
Mike Hinrichs shared his statement as the State Fire Marshal outlined the preliminary results of an investigation into the cause of the fire. Officials read his statement out loud at a press conference.
"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.
The fire was deemed accidental, stemming from overheated electrical equipment in the family office. The room didn't have an outlet, and the family was using an ungrounded extension cord from a separate room to provide power.
Hinrichs was not home at the time fire, which started around 5:30 a.m. on the 2100 block of Richard Avenue.
Models from the investigation showed a smoke alarm went off approximately four minutes after the fire started, and Pierce and her children — Hudson, Cayden and Avery — only had one minute to escape.
Hinrichs thanked the first responders who were on site during the fire, as well as the investigators from the State Fire Marshal's team.
"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. Your kindness has not gone unnoticed, even if we have been too numb to adequately acknowledge your compassion and sympathy," he said.
He also thanked the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota hockey community; Pierce wrote about the Wild for NHL.com and co-hosted the Bardown Beauties hockey podcast.
"Family always came first for Jessi, but all things hockey ran a close second. 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," said Hinrichs.
The first Jessi PIerce Community Cup, a youth hockey tournament put on by the Minnesota Wild, will be held in the St. Paul Tria Rink in December. Proceeds will go to supporting women pursuing careers in sports media.
