The millionaire owner of a luxury lakefront resort in Minnesota has been arrested and charged with arson, after allegedly joking about burning down the property days before it was destroyed in a blaze.
Bryce Campbell, 41, the owner of the Lutsen Resort Lodge on the north shore of Lake Superior, made multiple comments suggesting to “burn it” in the days leading up to a massive fire that erupted on February 6, 2024, authorities said.
Campbell, of Two Harbour, Minnesota, was taken into custody on December 3 in Southfield, Michigan, and charged with three felony counts of arson and one felony count of insurance fraud.
A police complaint seen by The Independent details how Campbell complained of serious financial troubles with the resort in the months leading up to the incident, including owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to vendors and other parties.
In exchanges with his husband in the week before the fire, Campbell said he was “depressed” multiple times and wrote “burn it” in response to several messages including one about owing almost half a million dollars to the Canada Revenue Agency, the complaint noted.
“I think w[e’re] on the hook if it burns babe.” his husband said, per the complaint. “At that point we just take the insurance payout and use it [to] cover CRA.”
Campbell reportedly responded: “Works for me.”
On February 12, almost a week after the fire, Campbell messaged his husband, writing: “This is usually when I’d make my burn it joke…but karma didn’t like that…I’m gonna need a new line :/.”
Despite initially telling investigators that he “went home, bought a pizza from Dominos, and went to bed, he later admitted to insurance investigators he had stopped at the lodge on the night of the fire, shortly before midnight, to pick up items from his desk.
According to the complaint, Campbell’s debts included around $467,000 in unpaid invoices to over 80 vendors; $521,000 owed to Lutsen’s Resort Lodge’s previous owners; $247,000 owed to townhome associations whose rental properties he managed; and $277,000 owed to Highmark Builders. Business checking accounts in his name showed extremely low and even negative balances.
Detectives also noted that Campbell had previously increased the amount that the resort was insured for twice, upping it to $11 million in 2022 and then up again to $13 million the year after.
Fraud agents from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension determined 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 Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans.
The Lutsen Lodge was built in 1951 and designed by renowned architect Edwin Lundie. Campbell purchased it for $6.75 million in 2018 and claimed to have invested a further $5 million into expansive renovations.
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 the method by which the fire started remains undetermined.
“Even in cases like these where no one is injured, arson is not a victimless crime. This community and anyone with connections to this historic resort can attest to that,” said State Fire Marshal Dan Krier. “I’m hopeful these charges will bring those impacted some closure and sense of justice.”
As of this week, Campbell remained in the Oakland County Jail in Michigan, pending extradition to Minnesota.
