Rangitikei ratepayers will be reimbursed for the cost of the February forest fire near Bulls.
Last week the National Rural Fire Authority completed its assessment of Rangitikei District Council's claim and decided the $98,696 the council spent fighting the blaze would be paid out within the next month.
The decision means it will be up to the fire authority to pursue any legal action, and its rural operations manager Gary Lockyer said a legal review would determine whether any party would face prosecution.
That would take several months to determine.
"Those things can drag out for some time," he said. "The main thing is we've paid the bills."