Fire Country Bombshell: Two Major Stars Exit After Explosive Finale!

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As noted by our affiliated site Deadline, the future looks particularly grim for one character on the CBS drama, as actor Billy Burke, portraying Vince, is departing after three seasons.

Furthermore, Stephanie Arcila will no longer be a regular on the series, though there is hope that her character Gabriela may occasionally return as a guest star.

What led to the departure of these two original cast members? Here’s the rundown:

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HOUR 1

The initial hour revealed rumors that Finn had left town were false; he was actually still in Edgewater, seen by Manny near the address 42. Finn quickly drove away when he noticed Bode at a nearby gas station. In his haste, Finn left with the gas pump nozzle still in his tank, causing it to rip off and ignite a fire as he sped away. Bode and Manny, who had just arrived, were left to extinguish the gas station blaze, which was complicated by a trapped teenage girl and nearby propane tanks. Vince, Jake, and Eve arrived soon after with Three Rock to assist.

While the team was busy with the fire, only Audrey was available to accompany Gabriela at the Leone residence, hiding from Finn. Just as they realized Finn had been tracking Gabriela with a phone he had given her, Finn entered the room, armed with a gun. Audrey saw Gabriela’s pistol partly visible in a nearby purse. As they attempted to distract Finn long enough for Audrey to grab the gun, their plan failed. Finn used a taser on Audrey, incapacitating her.

At the gas station, the lack of water supply was problematic. The truck line was insufficient, prompting Vince to have Jake use the booster to control the roof fire temporarily. This allowed Bode to enter the building and heroically rescue the trapped girl in a dramatic slow-motion scene. Unfortunately, during the rescue, Bode aggravated his knee injury, leading Vince to order him to rest as they prepared to tackle an advancing fire at Zabel Ridge. However, Bode didn’t stay sidelined for long — Walter “ordered” him into action after noticing a change in the wind direction, indicating the fire was heading directly towards Edgewater.

Meanwhile, Manny checked on Gabriela, who was still shaken by Finn, while Audrey was recovering. Gabriela seized a moment to grab her gun, leading to a struggle. Manny, arriving outside, heard a gunshot and upon entering found Finn wounded on the floor, Gabriela holding the gun, and Audrey standing behind her.

HOUR 2

As the Zabel Ridge Fire intensified, Three Rock was soon engulfed by flames. Despite their efforts, including an improvised bucket brigade initiated by Cole, who was about to be paroled, the team had to retreat as their camp was overtaken by the fire.

Manny snapped Gabriela out of her shock and had her attend to Finn’s severe chest wound as best as she could while in the back of Manny’s truck. En route to a hospital, they encountered roadblocks. During the drive, Finn weakly accused Audrey of shooting him. A flashback revealed that after Finn had thrown Gabriela across the room, Audrey, upon regaining consciousness, grabbed the dropped gun, stood up, and shot Finn in the chest with the intent to kill. Audrey later confessed to Manny, and once they reached Buena Vista for medical help, she turned herself in, claiming self-defense.

At Buena Vista, chaos reigned. Initially, Bode and Walter were searching for Walter’s friend Otto, eventually finding him hidden in a closet. However, Bode’s knee failed again while assisting Walter through the corridors. Vince and Sharon, leaving Jake in command, rushed inside to locate Bode and Walter, which took some time. After finding them, Walter then went missing again. Vince located Walter, but before they and Sharon could exit, the roof collapsed, leaving Bode watching in horror from outside.