Re: Lutsen Lodge owner addresses financial challenges and calls out arson rumors

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In <super70s-37A722...@reader02.eternal-september.org>
pooper70s <supe...@super70s.invalid> wrote:

> That's how Democrats defraud the public. They have black riots to
get remodels or burns for insurance.

"It makes my broken heart hurt even more to focus on such absurd
accusations," Bryce Campbell told the Star Tribune, the day after
fire destroyed the historic lodge.

Flames engulfed the historic Lutsen Lodge early Tuesday morning
after a fire broke out on the North Shore property.

The owner of fire-ravaged Lutsen Lodge has been dogged by
allegations in an escalating number of lawsuits for failing to meet
financial obligations that total hundreds of thousands of dollars
and continued to grow even as the last embers of the historic Lake
Superior getaway still smoldered.

Bryce Campbell acknowledged Wednesday that he owes roughly $150,000
to several people who own cabins and condominiums near the lodge
that he managed for rental. Some have sued Campbell, alleging he
withheld proceeds from the rentals for many months.

Without prompting and as the investigation into the blaze continues,
Campbell, in an email Wednesday responding to questions about his
legal problems, denied speculation he said he saw on social media,
and among some of the cabin owners, that he had anything to do with
starting the fire.

"My heart is broken, and I feel like I'm grieving a person,"
Campbell wrote to the Star Tribune. "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."

Campbell wrote that he recently invested millions of dollars in
improvements to the three-story lodge, so "you don't [expletive]
torch a place and burn up $5 million of your money. ... Let's use
some common sense here, people."

Authorities in Cook County say the fire started about 12:30 a.m. on
Tuesday; the lodge, built in 1952 on a resort site that dated to the
late 19th century, was quickly engulfed. By later that morning, all
that remained standing were two chimneys. The lodge's general
manager said there were no guests checked in on Monday night, and no
one was injured in the fire.

The lodge was insured, Campbell said, adding that he is "dreading
the process" but intends to see that it will one day be rebuilt and
reopened to the public. .

The State Fire Marshal, taking the lead in the investigation,
released a statement Wednesday noting that the lodge, which had a
working sprinkler system, was last inspected in July, when seven
violations were found, with four of them repaired. At this time, the
statement continued, "it is too early in the investigation to
determine if the three outstanding violations played a role in the
fire."

A federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms spokeswoman said a
certified fire investigator with her agency has connected with state
officials about the blaze.

Campbell, 39, bought the lodge in 2018 and its sister property 70
miles to the south, Superior Shores, in 2020. His legal problems
started in July 2021, when he was sued by a remodeling contractor
for failing to pay a majority of the $310,000 he was billed for work
on Superior Shores. A judge found him liable, and he paid the
contractor about $190,000 this past July.

A cabin owner who also has a condominium in a complex that overlooks
the lodge said he is suing Campbell for withheld rental payments
that total tens of thousands of dollars combined.

An Eden Prairie couple say they are owed $13,000. Court records show
that an 89-year-old widow from the Northfield area sued Campbell on
Monday, about 12 hours before the fire, contending that he owes her
$11,000.

Jay Halverson, of Edina, owns a townhouse and a cabin near where the
lodge once stood. He said Campbell owes him about $30,000 in rental
proceeds from both properties.

Halverson, president of a residential association for 10 cabins up
the hill from the lodge, said he and six others intend to go to
conciliation court in pursuit of their money. He said the grand
total "is really unclear because of [Campbell's] sloppy bookkeeping
or even the lack of bookkeeping."

Cliffhouse is just one of four residential associations near the
lodge that have either ended or are winding down their management
relationships with Campbell, Halverson said.

Halverson said that when he heard about the fire, he was immediately
suspicious about its cause. "It seems like some kind of a movie that
comes on late at night," he said.

Tracy Skar has a Cliffhouse townhouse and is the association's
treasurer but does not rent out her unit. Skar said she knows "there
are lot of people who are owed money. It was a bad situation that I
thought couldn't get any more drama, and then this happened."

Skar added that the fire's cause has spawned "a lot of speculation.
[That] has been everybody's first thoughts, second thoughts. It's a
sad situation, and you never want to think the worst."

Cook County records show that Campbell has been increasingly late
with his business' property taxes. While his taxes associated with
the lodge are made by escrow on time, two other properties he owns
nearby have been paid late every year since 2019, except for 2020,
according to the records.


The statement from the State Fire Marshal said it's difficult to
estimate when the investigation will wrap up "due to the magnitude
of this fire." Firefighters remained on the scene Wednesday, still
tending to hotspots.

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

Star Tribune staff writers Jana Hollingsworth and Christa Lawler
contributed to this report.

https://www.startribune.com/bryce-campbell-lutsen-lodge-owner-
addresses-financial-challenges-and-calls-out-arson-rumors/600341812/