Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers from the Fire Country Season 3 finale that aired April 25. So if you haven’t seen it, stop reading, check it out and circle back.
Fire Country just dropped a season finale that wasn’t just heavy on the flames — it was heavy on the exits too. After three seasons of keeping its original crew mostly intact (a rare thing in TV these days), CBS’ hit firefighter drama is making some big changes heading into Season 4.
Deadline confirmed that Billy Burke, who plays battalion chief Vince Leone, is exiting the series. Stephanie Arcila, who plays firefighter and paramedic Gabriela Perez, is also stepping away as a series regular — though producers hope to bring her back for guest appearances down the line.
Their exits come after a two-hour finale that didn’t pull any punches. Fires were raging across Edgewater, lives were on the line, and by the end of it, the fate of three characters — including Vince — was left hanging in the balance.
Inside the Finale: How It All Went Down
The first hour of the finale set the tone. Bode (Max Thieriot) and Manny (Kevin Alejandro) got caught up battling a fire sparked by Gabriela’s unhinged stalker, Finn. Meanwhile, Finn tracked Gabriela to the Leone house — and things took a terrifying turn. Despite Audrey (Leven Rambin) trying to protect Gabriela, Finn got the upper hand, tased Audrey, and chaos broke out. When Manny arrived, a struggle ended with Finn shot in the chest and Gabriela holding the smoking gun — though flashbacks later revealed Audrey was the one who pulled the trigger.
And that was just the first hour.
In the second, Edgewater’s Zabel Ridge fire exploded, putting Three Rock’s firefighting camp in the crosshairs. Meanwhile, a desperate rescue effort at Buena Vista memory care facility — where Vince’s father Walter was a resident — ended in devastation. Vince, Sharon (Diane Farr), and Walter were trapped inside when the building collapsed, while Bode was forced to watch, helpless, from the outside.
Who’s Out, and What It Means
While the season was setting up Jake (Jordan Calloway) possibly leaving Station 42 for a better opportunity, it’s Gabriela and Vince whose departures are confirmed for now.
Stephanie Arcila’s exit isn’t tied to any behind-the-scenes drama or budget cuts. As co-creators Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, and showrunner Tia Napolitano explained, it came down to creative choices — wanting to reflect the real stakes of the dangerous work their characters do.
“We love Stephanie, and we’re committed to saying that the Bode-Gabriela story does not end here, it goes on,” Phelan told Deadline. “We’re hoping to bring her back because the chemistry between Max and Stephanie has really struck a chord with the audience.”
Arcila herself left the door open when asked if she’d return: “I never say never.”
Billy Burke’s Vince, on the other hand, seemed to be written out more definitively. After years of carrying the weight of duty, family strain, and personal loss, Vince’s story arc came full circle with the reconciliation between him and his father. His possible death inside the burning facility feels like a heartbreaking, but powerful sendoff — though no one’s ruling anything out just yet.
Burke has already lined up his next gig with a guest role on Peacock’s M.I.A., so it looks like he’ll stay booked and busy either way.
A Reset for Season 4
Gabriela’s story will remain connected to Fire Country through her father, Manny, who was encouraged by Sharon to throw his hat in the ring to become Station 42’s next captain — a position left wide open after Jake took a captaincy job elsewhere.
As for Jake, despite his storyline setting up a possible exit, he’s expected to stick around next season — and might even be on track to replace Vince as battalion chief, assuming the worst is confirmed.
Meanwhile, Eve (Jules Latimer) and the remaining Three Rock crew fought valiantly in the finale but lost their camp to the wildfire, marking a huge shift in the landscape of the series.
Fire Country remains one of CBS’ top shows and a key part of its Friday night lineup. A spinoff, Sheriff Country starring Morena Baccarin, is set to debut next fall, with the Fire Country universe only getting bigger.
Created by Max Thieriot alongside Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, and produced with Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Fire Country isn’t just another procedural — it’s deeply personal, grounded in Thieriot’s real-life experiences growing up in Northern California’s fire country.
With Season 4 already on the way, one thing’s clear: change is coming to Edgewater, and nobody’s safe.