Fire Country ended its third season with multiple members of the Leone family in a life-or-death situation. Then, after the finale, it was revealed that two cast members would not be returning for Season 4. It has not yet explicitly been said that one of their characters, who was part of that cliffhanger, will die, but it’s looking likely.

The Season 3 finale saw Edgewater dealing with a massive fire consuming significant parts of the town. That included the care facility where Vince’s (Billy Burke) father, Walter (Jeff Fahey), lived (once his dementia symptoms worsened), and Bode (Max Thieriot) was the first family member on scene. He and Walter worked to evacuate the residents, and Vince and his wife Sharon (Diane Farr) soon joined them inside just after they’d found Walter’s friend. Bode got his friend out, but when Walter turned back, Vince and Sharon followed.

By the time Vince convinced his father to leave and Sharon found an exit amidst the fire, it was too late: A section of the building collapsed on top of them.

Following the finale, Deadline reported that Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila (Gabriela) would not be back as series regulars in Season 4. In a post-finale interview, also with Deadline, executive producer Tia Napolitano did not confirm that Burke is exiting but did tease, “There will definitely be a devastating loss for everyone that remains in our family.”

That does seem to suggest that Vince will die in the fire — or perhaps Walter dies and that loss takes Vince out of Edgewater or at least offscreen for some reason. It’s hard to imagine him just leaving his family, so that would be tricky, unless it’s only temporary and Burke recurs in Season 4. (Nothing suggests that will be the case.)

Since the beginning of the series, Vince and Sharon have come across as one of the realest, most grounded couples on TV. They’re not perfect, they fight, and they disagree about how to deal with Bode (multiple times), but the flaws are what make them a compelling couple. To take that off our screens and not follow both parties in the aftermath, it seems like one of them would have to die.

It’s not just about the marriage. There’s also Vince’s relationship with his son, Bode, and how far that has come from the beginning of the series. There was so much talk about them fighting fires side-by-side — the family business — which we did see in Season 3, that to have Vince (offscreen) in Edgewater but not onscreen at Station 42 would be glaring.

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