(Warning: spoilers about Fire Country are ahead) Coming right off the heels of 9-1-1‘s shocking choice to kill off Peter Krause‘s character, Captain Bobby Nash, Fire Country just left the fate of one of its own hanging during the season 3 finale: Billy Burke, who plays Battalion Chief Vince Leone. According to multiple reports, Billy will not return for season 4, even though the season 3 cliffhanger only implies Vince’s death. So, why is the Twilight alum leaving Fire Country?
News47.us has gathered all the details we know so far behind Billy’s exit from Fire Country below.
Though nobody from Fire Country nor CBS has confirmed Billy’s character’s on-screen death, multiple outlets reported that it’s imminent. And the season 3 finale implies that Vince dies in an explosion.
While speaking with Deadline ahead of the April 2025 season 3 finale, executive producer and showrunner Tia Napolitano explained why they decided to remove a main character — without naming Billy during the interview.
“That’s a reality, there’s danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes,” Tia told the outlet. “Again, coming from a show like Grey’s Anatomy for years and years, that’s how it works with character-driven dramas. You want the opportunity for that door to open, for someone to walk out of it, or for someone to walk into it. We’re really leaning into that aspect of the show as well as honoring the authenticity.”
When asked about the decision to eliminate Billy’s character from the show, Tia noted, “We are not going to confirm who we’re losing. There will definitely be a devastating loss for everyone that remains in our family. No, shooting the finale, none of the actors knew.”
Executive producer Joan Rater also told the outlet that, when it comes to character deaths, it “really just comes down to what’s the best creatively.”
