Fire that destroyed Lutsen Lodge continues string of North Shore business blazes

The late-night blaze that destroyed Lutsen Lodge was the latest in a series of fires that have destroyed beloved businesses and hotels along Minnesota’s North Shore. Since 2020, at least three other fires have destroyed five restaurants and stores in Grand Marais and Lutsen. One investigation ruled that the first was accidental, but the other two investigations continue and have not released a cause.

Here’s a rundown of each of those fires and what we know:

A fire broke out on April 13, 2020, in the back of the Crooked Spoon Café, at 17 W. Wisconsin St. in Grand Marais, according to the report from the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s office. Strong wind gusts spread the fire to neighboring gift shops Picnic & Pine and White Pine North, fully engulfing the downtown buildings. No injuries were reported. The fire was later ruled accidental but a cause was never found.

The investigation was limited because a backhoe vehicle had begun knocking down the burned buildings as the investigator arrived at the scene, according to his report. The investigator wrote that Grand Marais Fire Chief Ben Silence said there was no choice but to start demolishing the structures out of fear that the fire would spread to other buildings. The report lists the cause of fire as “undetermined.”

Instead of rebuilding the restaurant, the owners opened a food truck in the winter of 2020-21 to continue the business. It remains open and regularly posts on Facebook to let people know where the truck will be serving pop-up dinners and offering delivery and pickup orders.

This popular seasonal custard shop in Grand Marais caught fire on April 10, almost three years to the day after the fire at Crooked Spoon. The fire at 14 Broadway Av. S. destroyed the building.

The investigation is still active, according to a spokesperson for the Fire Marshal’s office. Contractor Bruce Block, who owns Sydney’s Frozen Custard and Wood-Fired Pizza, said at the time that he suspects it may have been caused by squirrels in the wiring, based on a chewed-up bottle of chocolate that Block saw before the fire. Sydney’s reopened near the intersection of First Avenue West and Wisconsin Street.

Lutsen Mountains lost its longtime restaurant and live-music venue Papa Charlie’s Tavern in a fire on June 24, 2023. Jim Vick, the general manager for Lutsen Mountains, said investigators informed him they were unable to determine a definite cause of the fire.

Vick said there hasn’t been any evidence to suggest that the North Shore’s recent string of fires has been anything other than bad luck.

“There’s been nothing to suspect there’s anything nefarious behind any of them,” Vick said. “It’s an unfortunate coincidence and circumstance, and each one has been a tough blow to the community.”

The hope is to begin construction on a new Papa Charlie’s in the summer and to open potentially next winter, he added. It would be at the same site as the former tavern.