2 Major ‘Fire Country’ Stars Leaving Show After Season 3

Fire Country is losing two of Edgewater’s best next season.

Deadline reports that Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke are set to exit the CBS drama.

News comes following Friday’s Season 3 finale, which was two hours long. Although Arcila’s firefighter paramedic Gabriela Perez had gone through a lot this season, most notably in these recent episodes with her stalker Finn, there was no indication that she was planning on leaving 42. As for Burke’s Cal Fire Battalion Chief Vince Leone, he was trapped in a fire, and with the episode ending on a cliffhanger, fans are going to be left wondering what his fate will be until Season 4 premieres.

Showrunner Tia Napolitano told Deadline that the decision for Arcila to exit “wasn’t decided earlier in the season. It was during discussions about finding the end of the season. We spoke to Stephanie while we were shooting the finale.” Co-creator Tony Phelan added that it was “really a decision that came out of the dynamic between Bode and Gabriela; we felt like those two characters needed a reset. We love Stephanie, and we are committed to saying that the Bode-Gabriela story does not end here, it goes on.”

As of now, Napolitano, Phelan, and co-creator Joan Rater would not speak about Burke’s exit to keep the speculation going as to who the series will be losing following the cliffhanger since, on top of Vince, Jake was going to be leaving, while Sharon and Vince’s dad Walter were also trapped in the fire. But sources claim that Burke is the additional cast member who is leaving the show.

Whether Vince will be killed off or come out unscathed and then leave the station is unknown, but it’s hard to imagine Vince leaving 42 since it’s his second home, and he’s working with his wife and son. So, unfortunately, it’s more likely he’ll be killed in the fire. Even if he does die, it’s possible Burke will still occasionally return, with Vince appearing in dreams or in flashbacks. Fans will just have to wait until the fall to see what really happens.

However Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke exit, it will be hard to watch. Fire Country will not be the same without them, and 42 will certainly not be the same without Gabriela and Vince. At the very least, all three seasons of Fire Country are streaming on Paramount+. Fire Country Season 4 premieres this fall on CBS.