Lutsen Resort Owner Charged With First-Degree Arson in Fire That Destroyed Historic Lodge

(KNSI) – The owner of Lutsen Resort has been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts, including first-degree arson and insurance fraud, in connection with a fire that destroyed the historic North Shore resort.

Bryce James Campbell, formerly of Two Harbors, was taken into custody on December 3rd in Southfield, Michigan, by special agents with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Campbell faces three felony counts of arson in the first degree and one felony count of insurance fraud. He remains in the Oakland County, Michigan, jail pending extradition to Minnesota.

The 41-year-old faces charges in Cook County District Court related to the early-morning blaze on February 6th, 2024, that consumed the resort’s main lodging building off Highway 61.

Firefighters responded at 12:24 a.m. after a worker reported smoke rising through the lobby floorboards. Despite efforts by the fire department, the blaze grew rapidly and eventually destroyed the entire structure.

According to the criminal complaint, the BCA’s financial crimes and fraud agents determined through their investigation that Campbell knowingly caused the fire to fraudulently collect an insurance payout. “In committing this selfish criminal act, Mr. Campbell considered his own personal benefit over the lives and livelihoods of the people he employed, while at same time destroying a treasured Minnesota landmark,” said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans.

The State Fire Marshal recently completed the investigation on the origins of the fire, determining that it began in the southwest basement area above the boiler room and beneath the lobby, but that the method by which the fire started is undetermined.

Investigators pieced together evidence suggesting Campbell was at the resort shortly before the fire began. Campbell later admitted to insurance investigators that he stopped at Lutsen that night to retrieve items from his office, contradicting his initial account.

The complaint details severe financial distress facing Campbell’s businesses at the time of the fire. They included North Shore Resort Company, North Shore Land Company, and Shores Resort Company. Collectively, the companies owed more than $14 million, some of it past due. Internal emails show staff expressing concern about the financial situation and the inability to meet payroll.

Investigators say Campbell had increased Lutsen’s insurance policy from $8.5 million to $13 million in the years before the fire. The subsequent insurance claim totaled at least $16.5 million.

Campbell purchased Lutsen Resort and its assets for $6.75 million in August 2018. He is a Canadian citizen and has returned to Canada multiple times since the fire.

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