The village of Refvika is located between the beach of Refviksanden to the northwest and the lake of Refvikvatnet to the southeast. Up until 1872, all the people at the farm lived in the same farmyard, and the houses stood very close together. In a matter of four hours on the day when the fire broke out, 46 houses were reduced to ashes and 113 persons became homeless. A massive help operation was initiated and the village quickly got back on its feet. At Refvika the beach of Refviksanden is located, and in 1988, the Norwegian daily paper Dagbladet selected it to be the finest beach in the country.