Minnesota’s Lutsen Lodge Resort had unresolved inspection violations before fire

• Minnesota regulators say a recent fire code inspection found three outstanding violations at a historic lodge destroyed by fire.
• The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said the State Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an inspection in July and found seven violations.
• Founded in 1885, Lassen claims to be Minnesota’s oldest resort, with the lodge being its centerpiece.

Minnesota regulators said Wednesday that a recent fire code inspection found three unresolved violations at the historic lodge destroyed in the fire, but it was unclear whether those violations contributed to the fire. Ta.

Staff at the Lassen Lodge in Lake Superior noticed smoke coming from an electrical outlet on the lobby floor around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. The employees escaped safely and there were no guests, but the lodge was destroyed.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an inspection in July and found seven violations, according to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. According to the agency, the property owner repaired four of them.

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“It is too early in the investigation to determine whether the three outstanding violations contributed to the fire,” the release said.

A message was left at the resort Wednesday.

The state said it is unclear when the investigation will be completed.

Opened in 1885, Lassen claims to be Minnesota’s oldest resort, with the lodge as its centerpiece. It is a popular destination for hikers, skiers, and other visitors from the Midwest and beyond.

The main lodge was rebuilt after a fire in 1951. Lodge managers have promised to rebuild again.

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Lassen Lodge owner Bryce Campbell told the Star Tribune in an email that he owes about $150,000 to several people who own nearby cabins and condominiums, and online rumors have been circulating that he is responsible for the fire. There is growing speculation that this may have been the cause. He denied those rumors without being prompted by the newspaper.

“My heart is broken and I feel like I’m making someone else sad,” Campbell wrote in the newspaper. “You have no idea what it’s like to lose such a huge part of the life that my mother and I have built together. It hurts my heart even more.”

Jay Halverson, who owns a townhouse and cabin near the lodge, told the newspaper he owes Campbell about $30,000 in rent. Halverson said the cause of the fire was questionable.