The owner of a historic lodge in Lutsen, Minnesota has been arrested for starting the February 2024 fire that destroyed the property.
Located along Lake Superior, Lutsen Resort dated back to 1885 and was promoted as Minnesota’s oldest resort. The New York Post reports Bryce James Campbell bought the lodge and its assets in 2018 for $6.7 million.
At the time of the fire, Campbell’s business was failing and he was $14 million in debt. Less than a week before the blaze, the resort’s general manager complained to Campbell that they did not have enough funds to cover the following week’s payroll.
Campbell was inside the lodge around the time the fire started in the basement on Feb. 6, 2024. He submitted a $16.5 million insurance claim, citing “a fire of unknown origin” as the cause of the destruction. However, a probe of his phone history found evidence he was searching for information on glycol and the accelerant Swissmar, which was found in the boiler room. The phone search also found text messages to his husband where he repeatedly stated, “Just burn it.”
Campbell, a Canadian national, was also more than $466,000 in debt to the Canada Revenue Agency. He was arrested earlier this week and charged with arson and insurance fraud.
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