Minnesota Wild reporter Jessi Pierce and her 3 children found dead in house fire, league says

NHL reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children were killed Saturday in a weekend house fire in Minnesota, the league announced on its sports website Sunday.

Pierce, 37, covered the Minnesota Wild as the correspondent for NHL.com for the past decade.

“The entire NHL.com team is devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jessi and her children,” said Bill Price, vice president and editor-in-chief of NHL.com, in a statement. “Jessi’s love of her family and hockey was evident in the energy and passion she brought to her work for us. She was an absolute joy to talk to and work with. She will be deeply missed.”

Firefighters responded to a house fire Saturday morning in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Neighbors called 911 and reported seeing flames coming through the roof. Fire crews located an adult, three children and a dog inside the house and all were deceased, the White Bear Lake Fire Department said. The department did not release the names of the victims in its statement Saturday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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“Out hearts ache for those involved in this tragedy. We ask for the opportunity to allow our community to come together and support one another during this difficult time,” Fire Chief Greg Peterson said in the statement.

The Minnesota Wild mourned her loss on social media Sunday.

“Jessi was a kind, compassionate person that cared deeply about her family and those around her. She served as an ambassador for the game of hockey during her time covering the Wild and the NHL,” the social media post said.

Minnesota is known as the “State of Hockey,” and the Wild have had one of the biggest fan bases since their inception in 2000. The North Stars had moved to Dallas to become the Stars in the early 1990s.

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Associated Press writer Stephen Whyno, who lives in New York, contributed to this report.

Jessica Hill, The Associated Press