Why Did Billy Burke Leave 'Fire Country'? Shocking Exit Leaves Fans Sobbing (SPOILERS)

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Fire Country Season 3 and 9-1-1 Season 8.

When it comes to Fire Country's favorite EMS star, Billy Burke as Captain Vince Leone has to be in the running for the top spot. He stole hearts as Charlie Swan in the Twilight series, lovingly and gruffly fathering Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, through her eternal romance with a vampire.

So when he showed up to reprise his role as a gruff, muscle-toting, heart-stealing EMS hero, fans were immediately enamored.

Charlie and Vince may not be the same person, but that doesn't matter to die-hards. So when his shocking exit was revealed in Season 3 of Fire Country, it broke many hearts. But why did Billy Burke leave? Here's what we know about his show exit, the exit of another show favorite, and how fans are dealing with the blow of losing Vince right on the heels of another series jaw-dropper.

The two-part Season 3 finale for Fire Country hit fans like a kick in the gut. A wildfire engulfed the Buena Vista memory care facility, and our favorite heroes rushed in to help. But the building's collapse trapped Vince, his wife Sharon (played by Diane Farr), and his father Walter (played by Jeff Fahey).

Bode (played by Max Thieriot) was forced to watch in agony from the outside as the unimaginable came tumbling down on his work family.

In the end, we lose Vince, and hearts everywhere broke.

Deadline reports that there were rumors of a fight between cast and producers to avoid reducing episodes for some of the series regulars. In an interview, they asked co-creators/executive producers Joan Rater and Tony Phelan and executive producer/showrunner Tia Napolitano about the shocking Season 3 exits, and whether it was related to the rumored disagreement over episodes.

Joan answered, "No, it’s really coming out of us wanting to be exciting storytellers."

Per Forbes, because the episode was so fresh and they didn't want to spoil things ahead of time, no real information has been shared about any off-screen reasons for Billy's departure. So for now, all we have as an explanation is "storytelling."

Of course, Vince isn't the only character to leave the show. Season 3 also closed with the exit of Gabriela, played by Stephanie Arcila.

And for Stephanie, the reason for her exit also seems to be due to "storytelling."

When asked about Stephanie's departure, Tony told Deadline, "It was really a decision that came out of the dynamic between Bode and Gabriela; we felt like those two characters needed a reset."

But fans rejoice; Tony added, "We love Stephanie, and we are committed to saying that the Bode-Gabriela story does not end here, it goes on."

Just not quite yet, apparently.

Unfortunately, it was small comfort for fans who found themselves grieving Vince quickly on the heels of losing another hero in a similar show.

9-1-1 Season 8 also delivered a gut punch to fans in the form of the death of Captain Bobby Nash (played by Peter Krause), beloved father figure and all-around favorite.

So not only did fans find themselves grieving Bobby, but suddenly they lost Vince too? According to TikTok, fans just aren't sure how to recover.

In one TikTok video responding to the doubly-whammy, a fan wrote, "I love Fire Country don’t get me wrong, but 9-1-1 killed me the hardest with Captain Nash’s death I still am crying over that."

Another added, "I cried! first Bobby now them! noooo!!!!"

One lamented, "What is happening to all my fire daddies!"

One bereft fan added, "They didn't let me heal from Bobby, now this."

It's unclear what exactly the first responder fandom will do with two of their favorite heroes gone, and Gabriela MIA for now, but the stories must go on.