Fire Country Season 4 has been one of change. The premiere episode saw the loss of two characters who had been there from the very beginning.
One of those was beloved Battalion Chief Vince Leone, played by actor Billy Burke. Vince was killed in the Season 3 cliffhanger fire that saw Vince, Sharon (Diane Farr), and Walter (Jeff Fahey) trapped inside a burning building.
In the premiere, Walter and Sharon made it out, but Vince died. Burke was never seen in the episode. The loss of Vince brings up the question of why Burke exited Fire Country.
There’s one very good reason Burke isn’t on Fire Country, and it’s simple. Vince’s death was simply storyline dedicated.
Fire Country creator Tony Phelan explained the decision to
TV Insider.
“We felt like coming into Season 4, we have a show about wildland firefighters and we have the same cast that we had from the beginning. And to be truthful to the work that these people do, which is always our desire, we felt like it was time for the show and the characters to have a loss,” shared Phelan.
Losing Vince shakes things up with core characters on the show, not just Bode (Max Thieriot) and Sharon. Jake (Jordan Calloway), Eve (Jules Latimer), and Manny (K
evin Alejandro) are also reeling from Vince’s death.
Phelan added, “We want to be very respectful of the character of Vince, of how important he is to the show, and how important Billy was as a presence on the show. So, the loss of Vince is going to echo through the entire season, and we are going to see our younger firefighters really have to begin to grapple with growing up and what is the next step for them.”
Once the decision was made, the creators, who also include Joan Rater and Thieriot, had to have the hard talk with Burke.
“It was a very difficult conversation to have with Billy because we love the character and love him so much. But I think that if you’re an actor on one of these shows, that’s always a possibility,” Phelan stated.
Burke has yet to speak out on his exit; however, his co-star, Farr, sent a beautiful message to fans upset over the loss of Burke and Vince on Fire Country.
Farr wasn’t the only one with a message, either. Latimer shared some words with fans amid the challenging Season 4.
Vince wasn’t the only loss on Fire Country this season. Gabriella (Stephanie Arcila) also left in the premiere, and Audrey (Leven Rambin) switched to a different fire station, alluding to the fact that she is also exiting the show.
