Warning! SPOILERS about Fire Country season 3, episodes 19 and 20 ahead.
The Zabel Ridge fire ravaged Edgewater’s community and endangered three main characters inFire Countryseason 3, episode 20, but its cliffhanger ending’s strength was inevitably dampened by the news aboutFire Countryseason 4’s cast shakeups.Fire Countryseason 3’s two-part finale was jam-packed with threats. From Audrey and Gabriela’s confrontation of Finn to Three Rock’s inmates having to defend their camp with hand tools and no support, everyone risked greatly inFire Countryseason 3’s ending. However,nobody risked as much as Vince, Sharon and Walter, who were still in the Buena Vista center when the roof collapsed.
Fire Countryis set to return with season 4 on CBS in Fall 2025, with its spinoffSheriff Countryalso airing in the 2025-2026 season.
Fire Countryseason 3 ending with Bode being kept from entering the building engulfed by flames by Jake highlighted how defeated Bode felt, believing his family had all died. The lack of certainty over Vince, Sharon and Walter’s fates inFire Countryseason 3’s last moments ups the stakes, as no answer would be available for audiences and characters untilFire Countryseason 4. However,updates aboutFire Countryseason 4’s cast, external to what happened onscreen in season 3, undercut the impact of the shocking cliffhangerafter two original cast members were revealed they wouldn’t return in season 4.
Vince Leone’s Fire Country Season 3 Finale’s Fate Is Confirmed By Billy Burke’s Future
Billy Burke Not Returning For Season 4 Decreases The Worry For Sharon & Walter
Indeed, on the same day ofFire Countryseason 3’s finale airing on CBS,Deadline reported Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke wouldn’t be returning to play Gabriela Perez and Vince Leone respectively inFire Countryseason 4. Arcila’s exit as a series regular was confirmed byFire Countryshowrunner Tia Napolitano and co-creators Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, but they chose not to comment on whether Burke was the other original cast member exiting the firefighting drama to keep audiences guessing. Still,the fact that only those two names were mentioned points to a degree of certainty over those exits.
Billy Burke not returning forFire Countryseason 4 can only mean Vince Leone died inFire Countryseason 3’s ending.The strength ofFire Countryseason 3’s cliffhanger ending was based on Vince, Sharon and Walter being equally in dangerof dying in the fire,but Burke’s exit effectively decreases that danger for Sharon and Walter, as it would be wholly justified by Vince’s death. Between the high stakes ofFire Countryseason 3’s finale and the fact that Vince would never abandon Bode and Sharon, especially after reuniting as a family, Vince’s death is the only possible outcome.
What Losing Vince Means For Bode & Sharon For Fire Country Season 4
Bode & Sharon Will Have To Deal With Their Biggest Loss Since Riley’s Death
The Leones had their fair share of heartbreak as a family, losing Riley in the car crash beforeFire Country’s timeline and drifting apart as a result of the tragedy, given how Vince faulted Bode for the accident. It took more than aFire Countryseason for the Leones to reunite happily as a family and deal with their grief, only being able to face it together after Bode’s return to Edgewater.Vince’s death coming after a brief moment of peace for the Leones means dark times ahead for Bode and Sharon inFire Countryseason 4.
The loss would give Bode and Sharon the chance to grieve Vince together, [but] the circumstances of Vince’s death could also lead to Bode and Sharon feeling guilty or faulting one another for the tragedy, given they went in without the right equipment.
Vince’s death would not only mean more heartbreak for Bode and Sharon, but it could also upset their dynamics, asFire Countryseason 3proved the ease with which they got dragged into fights where they can’t see each other’s perspective. The loss would give Bode and Sharon the chance to grieve Vince together, something they couldn’t do with Riley. However, the circumstances of Vince’s death could also lead to Bode and Sharon feeling guilty or faulting one another for the tragedy, given they went in without the right equipment, makingFire Countryseason 4 particularly challenging for their bond.
Fire Countryseason 3 is now streaming in its entirety on Paramount Plus.
