Fire Country season three ended on April 25 with an explosive two-hour finale that ended on a cliffhanger, with Cal Fire battalion chief Vince Leone, his wife, Cal Fire Division Chief Sharon, and his father, retired battalion chief Walter Leone trapped in a burning building with the roof collapsing on them.

Fans will have to wait until season four returns to find out their fates but it has been reported that Billy Burke, who plays Vince, has exited the show and will not return for further episode.

Stephanie Arcila, who plays firefighter and EMT Gabriela Perez, has also exited the series.

Fans, however, were furious with what they perceived as creative mistakes, with many taking to social media to question why they ended it on a cliffhanger and why Gabriela – a lead character – would be leaving when show bosses have hinted that she would have a happy-ever-after with Bode Leone (Max Theriot).

“Writing Gabriela having a mental crisis, bettering herself after half a season of struggling and once she thought she found a nice guy, making her a victim to his stalking all to write her off under the guise of being realistic? What kind of [expletive] storytelling?” wrote one disgruntled fan, as another shared: “So I guess I’m no longer watching my favorite show. What a waste of an absolute hit show.”

“Why is everyone’s life at risk in this finale?!? I can’t handle this!” exclaimed another, as some compared the episode’s dramas to the9-1-1episode that aired last week and saw Captain Bobby Nash die.

Fire Country co-creators and executive producers Joan Rater and Tony Phelan and showrunner Tia Napolitano told Deadline that they hoped Stephanie would return sporadically as a guest star to continue “the epic love story of Bode and Gabriela”.

CBS has not confirmed Billy’s exit. HELLO! has reached out for comment.

Fire Country launched in 2022 and was the passion project of Seal Team’s Max Thieriot.

The show follows young convict Bode, played by Max, who is offered access to an unconventional prison release firefighting program in Northern California.

There, he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to fight the unpredictable wildfires that engulf the region.

HELLO! spoke with Billy for the premiere, and he sai at the time that “the subject matter was so ripe to dive into and it was a show that we hadn’t seen before”.