Millionaire charged with torching treasured lakeside hotel that was Minnesota's oldest after cracking JOKES about burning it down

Bryce Campbell, 41, had allegedly cracked jokes about setting fire to the lakeside Lutsen Resort Lodge before it was destroyed in February 2024.

But now authorities believe there was more truth than humor in his sentiments.

Campbell, who bought the state's oldest resort in 2018, was arrested in Southfield, Michigan, for three felony counts of arson and one felony count of insurance fraud on Wednesday.

The resident of Two Harbors, a village on Canada's Catalina Island, was taken into custody at Michigan's Oakland Jail pending extradition to Minnesota, according to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

'In committing this selfish criminal act, Mr Campbell considered his own personal benefit over the lives and livelihoods of the people he employed,' BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said.

Evans noted that Campbell also allegedly destroyed a 'treasured' state landmark, which sat along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

The resort has been dubbed the oldest in the state, as it has been in operation for 140 years.

However, the lodge that burnt down in February 2024 was built in 1952 - after fires burned the resort to the ground twice prior.

According to the criminal complaint, Campbell had increased the resort's insurance policy by roughly $4.5 million since 2022, making it worth $13 million.

He purchased the resort for $6.75 million and entered a contract-for-deed with his other company to buy Superior Shores Resort for $14.5 million in 2020, according to the complaint.

At the time of the fire, his past and near-due business debt - including other ventures - was $14 million.

Lutsen Resort Lodge also allegedly owed nearly half a million dollars to about 80 entities and owed the resort's previous owners about $520,000.

before the fire, an email indicated that there was not enough money for payroll at the lodge.

The complaint alleged that his other company had a negative balance in its checking account.

In the immediate aftermath of the blaze, people on social media grew instantly suspicious that Campbell may have played a role.

But he was quick to refute those accusations.

He told the Minnesota Star Tribune at the time: 'My heart is broken, and I feel like I’m grieving a person.

'You have no idea what it’s like to lose such a big piece of your life [that] my mom and I were building together.

'It makes my broken heart hurt even more to focus on such absurd accusations.'

He also told the outlet he had invested millions into improving the lodge, saying, 'you don't [expletive] torch a place and burn up $5 million of your money.'

Campbell even claimed he planned to rebuild the lodge and restore its former glory.

But investigators have alleged that evidence tells a different story.

On the night of the fire, police said the surveillance video from nearby businesses and a Cook County patrol car video showed the SUV he was driving near Lutsen before and after the fire.

Investigators also searched his phone, finding that Campbell told his husband to 'just burn it' in response to a text about money owed to the Canada Revenue Agency.

He replied 'burn it' to other messages regarding issues with guests and a bad review, the complaint claimed.

Campbell also allegedly searched for information on glycol, a kind of alcohol, and how flammable it is, and Swissmar, an accelerant.

After the fire, residue of the substances was found on one of the water heaters and a gas valve in the resort's basement, according to the complaint.

The owner filed an insurance claim for $16.5 million, citing 'a fire of unknown origin, ' police said.

Only one staffer was working the night of the fire, manager Edward Vanegas. He spotted smoke coming from outlets in the lobby in the middle of the night.

Flames engulfed the premises - completely ravaging the coveted getaway destination.

By SONYA GUGLIARA, US REPORTER