The objectives of this study were to understand the role of fires on land-cover changes, and conversely the role of vegetation cover as a controlling factor of fires. The study, which was conducted in a region at the savannah/forest transition in the southwestern part of the Central African Republic, explores the differential impact on land cover of early- and late-season fires and analyses burning regimes as a function of human use of the land. This was addressed using multivariate regression models between maps of land-cover change derived from remote sensing data, maps of burnt areas and a detailed map of ecotypes. In dense forests, burning is strongly associated with land-cover changes, while in savannahs the occurrence of (mostly) early fires does not lead to land-cover change. Fires associated with continuous and fragmented burnt patches have similar impacts on vegetation cover. Keywords: Biomass burning, Central Africa, Fire, Land-cover change, Landscape fragmentation, Remote sensing, Savannah, Tropical forest.