We study an s-p model magnetic system with a triplet ground state coupled to two temperature baths. By varying the temperatures we both generate non-thermal electronic distributions and create additional coherences in the density matrix of the system. Thus the thermally-induced magnetic response goes beyond the simple picture of majority-minority population dynamics. Furthermore, we discuss the influence of temperature induced relaxation effects on the dynamics induced by an optical perturbation for this quantum system. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.