The occurrence of runaway fires is common in the dry winter season in southern Africa. Such fires cause extensive damage to natural vegetation, commercial forests, and agricultural crops. Substantial claims can result in cases where negligence is suspected. In this paper we describe geospatial techniques to determine the extent of fires, to assess damage, and to validate claims. We derive burnt area vector maps from postfire Landsat TM imagery and overlay cadastral farm boundaries to identify affected land parcels. Prefire imagery over the affected parcels is analyzed to pinpoint the origin of fires and to determine land cover and land use prior to the fire damage. Application of these techniques in a specific case of fire damage not only helped in identifying the responsible organization, but also provided valuable information to that organization to counter exorbitant claims.