After three seasons, Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke are leaving Fire Country, meaning their characters’ stories are coming to an end (at least, for now) in season 4. The CBS action drama, created by Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan, and Joan Rater, follows Thieriot’s Bode Leone, a convict who volunteers for the California Conservation Camp Program to shorten his prison sentence at the beginning of the series. While assisting Cal Fire through the program, Bode comes face-to-face with his troubled past when he gets assigned to his hometown.
Over the course of Fire Country, Bode has faced many highs and lows. Heading into season 4, he’s out of prison and officially a Cal Fire firefighter, which is great, but Bode’s current position is marred by the fact that two of the people closest to him are leaving the show. So, when Fire Country season 4 premieres in fall 2025, Bode will be missing his father (Vince Leone, played by Burke) and his ex-girlfriend (Gabriela Perez, portrayed by Arcila).
Fire Country Let Go Of Stephanie Arcila & Billy Burke For Creative Reasons
The 2 Actors Didn’t Ask To Leave The Show
According to a report from Deadline, co-creators/executive producers Joan Rater and Tony Phelan and executive producer/showrunner Tia Napolitano confirmed Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke’s Fire Country exits following the season 3 finale. During the interview, they insisted that budget concerns weren’t to blame for the two stars’ departures (although that likely came into play). Fire Country certainly isn’t the only broadcast show reducing its cast as of late. Nevertheless, the official reasoning behind Arcila and Burke’s exits from the CBS series is creative.
| Fire Country Main Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Max Thieriot | Bode Leone |
| Kevin Alejandro | Manny Perez |
| Jordan Calloway | Jake Crawford |
| Stephanie Arcila | Gabriela Perez |
| Jules Latimer | Eve Edwards |
| Diane Farr | Sharon Leone |
| Billy Burke | Vince Leone |
When asked about why Gabriela and Vince are leaving Fire Country, Rater explained, “It really just comes down to what’s the best creatively.” Napolitano added, “That’s a reality, there’s danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes.” Essentially, the creative minds behind the action drama wanted to instill real stakes into its story (which certainly isn’t good news for Gabriela or Vince’s fates in season 4). The showrunner also said that Fire Country is “leaning into the authenticity of the real-life heroes that our characters are playing, people die, they leave.”
What Billy Burke Has Said About Leaving Fire Country
Burke Hasn’t Publicly Commented On His Exit
In the weeks following the two-part Fire Country season 3 finale, Billy Burke hasn’t commented on his exit from the show (unlike Stephanie Arcila — more on that below). Based on his lack of reaction to the news, it seems as though his departure came as a surprise to Burke. It only gets worse when learning about Burke’s statement regarding his Fire Country cast at the 2022 Television Critics Association press tour. The actor praised his costars and even exclaimed that the Fire Country cast was one of the best he’s ever worked with. Now, Burke is leaving the series.
