The Hardanger Folkeblad, a local Norwegian newspaper, reports that on Sunday, 17th February, fire broke out in the Utne Hotel. The sprinkler system operated and extinguished the fire. Damage was limited to a small area of the ceiling above the fire.

The hotel is closed in the winter but preparations are under way for its opening in March. According to the manager Nils Haustveit there are often people working at the hotel even when it is closed and some of them stay there. The hotel is one of the oldest in the country and has unique architecture. He is convinced that without the sprinkler system the hotel would have been totally destroyed.