The two-hour “Fire Country” Season 3 finale, aired April 25, 2025, on CBS, hit like a wildfire, leaving viewers stunned with a gut-punch cliffhanger and the news of two major cast departures. The episodes, titled “A Change in the Wind” and “I’d Do It Again,” didn’t just wrap up the season—they torched expectations, setting the stage for a seismic shift in the show’s future.
The finale threw Edgewater into chaos. A massive fire, sparked at a gas station, roared through the town, fueled by vicious winds. Bode Leone, played by Max Thieriot, and Manny Perez, portrayed by Kevin Alejandro, dove headfirst into the blaze to save lives. Meanwhile, Gabriela Perez, the firefighter-EMT played by Stephanie Arcila, faced a chilling showdown with her stalker, Finn, a plotline that had been simmering for weeks. The danger peaked at the Buena Vista memory care facility, where Vince Leone’s father, Walter, was trapped. Three characters—Vince, Sharon, and Walter—ended up in mortal peril, their fates dangling as the credits rolled. Thieriot, who directed the first hour, had teased a “game-changer” twist, and he wasn’t kidding.
Then came the real shock, confirmed in a Deadline interview with the show’s executive producers Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, and showrunner Tia Napolitano on April 26. Two original cast members, Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke, who plays Cal Fire battalion chief Vince Leone, are leaving the series after three seasons. Arcila’s exit as Gabriela was set in stone, with her final appearance as a series regular in the finale. Burke’s departure, however, remains murkier—producers stayed cagey about whether Vince’s story ends here or lingers in some form. No official reason for the exits was given, but the producers dismissed any link to the cliffhanger’s life-or-death stakes.
The shakeup marks a bold pivot for “Fire Country,” which had kept its core cast intact since its 2022 debut. Rater, Phelan, and Napolitano defended the move, saying it opens new storytelling paths. They promised to resolve the cliffhanger’s burning questions—who lives, who dies—in the Season 4 premiere, already greenlit by CBS in February 2024. No word on new cast additions, but the producers hinted at “exciting” plans to fill the void.
Fans got a taste of the chaos early. A sneak peek released April 21 showed Station 42’s crew battling the inferno, with Bode and Manny front and center. Gabriela’s stalker arc, which kicked into high gear in Episode 18, reached a boiling point when Finn attacked her, only for Audrey to shoot him dead. The fallout left Gabriela reeling, her gun missing, and her safety in question. Jake Crawford, played by Jordan Calloway, also flirted with leaving Station 42 for a captain’s gig in Butte County, but the finale didn’t confirm his exit.
The episodes delivered on action, with Thieriot boasting about the show’s biggest explosion yet—a gas station blast that set the tone for the finale’s relentless pace. CBS dropped the episodes on Paramount+ Essential the next day, April 26, for anyone needing to rewatch the carnage.
Arcila, in a separate Deadline interview on April 26, called her time on the show a wild ride, praising the writers for keeping her on her toes. She stayed mum on Gabriela’s future, only saying the team’s plans left her “excited.” Burke, so far, hasn’t commented publicly on his exit.
The finale’s stakes aren’t just about who’s out. The fire’s threat to Three Rock and Walter’s care facility tied personal and professional crises together, with Bode’s hero complex in overdrive. Producers confirmed they won’t dodge the cliffhanger’s fallout, vowing to pick up every thread when the show returns. Season 4’s premiere date remains unannounced, but CBS’s Friday slot for “Fire Country” is a safe bet given its solid ratings.