State Fire Marshal Says Lutsen Resort Had 7 Violations During Last Inspection

LUSTEN, Minn. (KVRR/AP) — The State Fire Marshal says the last inspection at Lutsen Resort Lodge took place last July.

They found seven violations, four of which the property owner repaired.

They say it is too early to determine if the outstanding violations played a role in the fire.

“This fire had a significant impact to the local economy and community,” said State Fire Marshal Daniel Krier.

Investigators are still sifting through debris and ashes to review any physical evidence at the scene.

Early Tuesday morning, a worker noticed smoke coming from the lobby floor and called fire crews.

The general manager says the fire started in the basement below the lobby where the boiler was located.

He says there were no guests in the lodge due to it being so early in the week.

“There was great potential for a loss of life with this fire,” said Lutsen Fire Chief Steve Duclos. “We are thankful that wasn’t the case.”

The lodge holds a special meaning for the fire chief.

He met his wife when he worked in the kitchen back in 2004.

The general manager says they will rebuild using the plans from back in the 1950’s when it last burned down, but with updated building codes and mechanicals.

According to the Associated Press, Bryce Campbell, owner of the Lutsen Lodge, told the Star Tribune in an email that he owes about $150,000 to several people who own cabins and condominiums nearby, fueling online speculation that he may have started the fire. Without prompting from the newspaper, he denied those rumors.

“My heart is broken, and I feel like I’m grieving a person,” Campbell wrote to the newspaper. “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.”

Jay Halverson, who owns a townhouse and a cabin near the lodge, told the newspaper that Campbell owes him about $30,000 in rental proceeds. Halverson said he was suspicious of the fire’s cause.