The owner of Minnesota’s historic Lutsen Resort has been charged with arson and insurance fraud more than a year after a fire destroyed the resort’s lodge.
Authorities from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the State Fire Marshal arrested 41-year-old Bryce Campbell, who owns Lutsen Resort, in Southfield, Michigan, on Wednesday. He is being held locally pending extradition to Minnesota.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight on February 6, 2024. The lodge’s night auditor called 911 to report smoke rising from the building and said he tried to contact Campbell, eventually reaching Campbell’s husband to inform him of the fire.
Court documents reveal that Campbell called his husband back at 3:14 a.m. In an interview, Campbell admitted stopping at the resort around 11:45 p.m. that night to retrieve a bag from his office.
Campbell purchased Lutsen Resort in August 2018 for $6.75 million and entered a contract-for-deed to buy Superior Shores Resort for $14.5 million in January 2020. Documents also detail financial difficulties: shortly before the fire, the resort owed nearly $500,000 to about 80 entities, including $521,000 to the previous owners. His other company had a negative bank balance and was ending its relationship with its bank.
Insurance records show Campbell increased the policy from $8.49 million in August 2022 to $11 million, then to $13 million in May 2023. Days before the fire, the night auditor emailed Campbell, asking what to do because “there isn’t any money available to do payroll next week.”
Investigators determined the fire started in the southwest basement. Days before, a water heater had been repaired, and the technician returned to find the gasket leaking combustion gases. Charges state Campbell told the night auditor he had turned on the gas valve. The night auditor said Campbell was usually “hands off” on mechanical issues and had “no idea” why he was in the basement. Residue near the water heater tested similar to a fire accelerant, though the exact cause remains uncertain.
Campbell filed an insurance claim for $16,565,901 in October 2024. He now faces three counts of arson and one count of insurance fraud.
Journalist Joe Friedrichs noted local suspicion of Campbell, asking him directly if he started the fire. Campbell replied, “Pretty straightforward question. I can also answer no, of course not,” in a clip from The Fire: A Lutsen Podcast.
Lutsen Lodge has a 140-year history. The land was first purchased by Swedish immigrant Charles Nelson. The lodge built in 1949 burned down two years later, and the building destroyed in 2024 was a replica constructed in 1952.
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