Investigators determined that electrical cords powering the home office accidentally started the March 21 fire that killed NHL.com contributor Jessi Pierce, 37, and her children, ages 8, 6 and 4. They said the family had roughly a minute to wake and respond.
State Fire Marshal Dan Krier said smoke and heat in the home's primary exit route would have made it nearly impossible to get through. He said it was too hot and smoky to see.
In his first statement since the fire, Pierce's husband, Michael Hinrich, told the Star Tribune that his “world came crashing down” and described his grief over losing his wife and children as all-consuming.
