NHL writer Jessi Pierce and her 3 children killed in Minnesota house fire

Jessi Pierce, a longtime Minnesota Wild reporter and NHL.com contributor, was killed along with her three children in a house fire in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, officials and the league said.

The fire was reported at 5:26 a.m. Saturday at a single-family home in the 2100 block of Richard Avenue in White Bear Lake, a suburb northeast of St. Paul, according to the White Bear Lake Fire Department. Neighbors who called 911 reported seeing fire coming through the roof and said there were likely people inside the house.

When crews arrived, they found the home fully involved and began fire suppression efforts, the fire department said. Firefighters later located an adult, three children and a dog inside the home. All were deceased.

The Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.

The NHL said in a statement that Jessi Pierce, 37, died in the fire along with her three children. The Minnesota Wild also confirmed their deaths.

“The entire National Hockey League family sends our prayers and deepest condolences to the Pierce family on the passing of Jessi Pierce and her three young children,” the NHL said in a statement. “Jessi loved our game and was a valued member of the NHL.com team for a decade. We will miss her terribly.”

Pierce had contributed to NHL.com for the past 10 seasons and was a fixture on Minnesota’s sports scene, covering the Wild and co-hosting the “Bardown Beauties” podcast. The league said she had pursued the goal of becoming an NHL writer since she was 18 and built a career that included work for multiple outlets over more than a decade.

The NHL said Pierce was deeply proud of her children and often spoke about their accomplishments. It said she was known for bringing warmth, humor and strong knowledge of the game to her work covering her hometown team.

“Jessi was a kind, compassionate person that cared deeply about her family and those around her,” the Minnesota Wild said in its statement. “She served as a dedicated ambassador for the game of hockey during her time covering the Wild and the NHL.”

“Jessi and her children will be greatly missed,” the statement added. “Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to their family, friends, and all who knew and loved them.”