Jessi Pierce, a longtime NHL.com correspondent covering the Minnesota Wild, died with her three children in an early morning house fire.
WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. — Sports reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children were killed in a house fire early Saturday in White Bear Lake, a Minnesota suburb where neighbors called 911 after seeing flames tear through the roof of the family’s home.
Pierce, 37, had covered the Minnesota Wild for NHL.com for the past decade and was a familiar voice in Minnesota hockey through her writing, podcast work and rink-side reporting. Her death quickly sent shock waves through the state’s hockey community, where colleagues, teams and readers described her as warm, tireless and deeply devoted to both her job and her children. Fire officials said the blaze remains under investigation, leaving the cause and sequence of events inside the home unresolved.
Fire crews were sent to a single-family home in the 2100 block of Richard Avenue just before 5:30 a.m. Saturday. According to the White Bear Lake Fire Department, neighbors reported seeing flames coming through the roof and believed people were still inside. When firefighters arrived, they found what officials described as a fully involved structure fire and began fighting the blaze while searching the home. Inside, crews found one dead adult, three dead children and a dog. Authorities did not release names immediately, but Pierce was identified the next day by the Minnesota Wild, the NHL and local officials. White Bear Lake Fire Chief Greg Peterson said the community was grieving a painful loss, and the department asked for space as investigators continued their work.
The deaths were confirmed publicly in stages over the weekend. Initial fire reports identified only the number of victims. By Sunday, Pierce had been named as the adult who died, and tributes across the hockey world filled in the human loss behind the official statements. KSTP reported the children were Hudson, Cayden and Avery. Bill Price, vice president and editor-in-chief of NHL.com, said Pierce brought “energy and passion” to her work and that her love of family and hockey was obvious to anyone who knew her. The Minnesota Wild called her a kind and compassionate person who served as an ambassador for the sport. Officials have not said how the fire started, whether smoke alarms sounded, or how long the fire had been burning before neighbors spotted it.
Pierce’s death landed especially hard in Minnesota, where hockey carries unusual cultural weight and where she had built a career around that community. Known widely as the “State of Hockey,” Minnesota has long treated the sport as part of its public identity, and Pierce was one of the journalists who translated that passion for everyday fans. Beyond NHL.com, she was known for co-hosting the “Bardown Beauties” podcast and for covering Minnesota hockey at multiple levels, including women’s professional hockey. Colleagues recalled seeing her at arenas with a notebook in hand, often balancing reporting with motherhood. One fellow journalist remembered that she was so dependable that her absence at the rink was immediately alarming. Those memories turned the story from a breaking-news fire report into a broader communal loss.
As of Monday, no public determination had been announced about the fire’s cause, and no criminal allegations or enforcement action had been reported. The immediate next step is the investigation, which typically includes examination of the structure, interviews, and review of physical evidence gathered at the scene. Fire officials have said more information will be released when appropriate. In the meantime, the response has shifted from emergency operations to mourning. The Wild created a memorial at Pierce’s media position, placing flowers and a hockey stick in tribute. Other teams and journalists added public messages of support as the state and hockey world waited for investigators to explain what happened inside the home before dawn on Saturday.
The remembrances were notable for how often they blended Pierce’s work life and family life into the same picture. Friends described her as direct, funny and generous, and said she had a way of speaking easily with players, coworkers and fans. Her podcast co-host, Kirsten Krull, called her a big-hearted friend with unmatched work ethic. Another colleague said the press box would not feel the same without her. Those tributes, paired with the stark facts of the fire, gave the tragedy a deeply personal dimension. This was not only the loss of a media figure with a public profile. It was the loss of a mother, three children and a household that had been part of the ordinary rhythm of community life just hours before the fire.
Officials had not announced a cause, timeline of ignition or further investigative findings by Monday, and the next major milestone is the release of additional fire-investigation details when authorities say they are ready.
Author note: Last updated March 23, 2026.