Fire Country Season 3 Ending Explained: What Happens To Vince, Sharon & Walter?

The two-hour finale of Fire Country season 3 was jam-packed with shocking developments, ending with a cliffhanger that left the fates of key characters unresolved, heavily influencing the direction season 4 will have to take to tackle the aftermath of the Zabel Ridge fire. In full Fire Country fashion, season 3 ended with a massive cliffhanger, leaving the fates of multiple characters unclear, something season 4 will undoubtedly have to untangle. With key Fire Country characters in harm’s way and others risking jail time for protecting themselves and others, season 3 left more questions unanswered than the ones it solved.

If at Fire Country season 3, episode 19’s beginning the Zabel Ridge fire was scary but manageable, it was threatening everybody in Edgewater by its end. However, those more at risk were undoubtedly the inmates at Three Rock and the Leones, who found themselves directly in the path of the wildfire as the first tried to protect their camp and the second fought to evacuate the Buena Vista care center without the necessary tools available. Walter Leone taking part in the rescue made him a hero and worsened the already dire situation, potentially making Fire Country season 3’s ending tragic.

Vince, Sharon & Walter's Fates Are Hanging After Fire Country Season 3's Finale

All 3 Leones Were Still In Buena Vista When Its Roof Collapse

Bode saving the woman at the filling station fire worsened his knee injury from Fire Country season 3, episode 12, prompting Vince to bench him for the other calls the Zabel Ridge fire would have inevitably caused. However, Walter Leone asking Bode for help convincing the Buena Vista care home to order an evacuation immediately brought him back to the center of the action, even if Bode had received a direct order to stand down. Walter and Bode’s joint effort saved everyone at Walter’s memory care facility, but their stubbornness to act no matter the danger imperiled their loved ones.

Indeed, if it wasn’t for Bode and Walter’s search for Otto around the facility despite it being unsafe to do so without backup, Sharon and Vince would have never entered Buena Vista without Jake supporting them. Their heroism delivered Bode and Otto to safety, but it also potentially cost them their lives, as Sharon, Vince and Walter were all inside the care home when the roof collapsed. Fire Country season 3’s ending left what happened intentionally nebulous, but with Vince’s Billy Burke not returning for Fire Country season 4, there’s a real chance a protagonist died in season 3’s ending.

How Three Rock Was Destroyed Despite The Crew's Best Efforts To Save It

Three Rock Fought Off So Many Attacks, But Zabel Ridge Ravaged The Camp

Another massive loss involved Three Rock in Fire Country season 3’s ending. After the Zabel Ridge fire endangered both the fire camp and Buena Vista, the dispatch had to decide where Station 42’s engines would go, making the hard choice of leaving Eve and the inmate firefighters alone to face the wildfire, sending Jake to try saving the Leones at Buena Vista. Eve, Francine, Cole and the other inmates fought bravely, but they had to abandon Three Rock at last, as the barracks and Eve’s office were up in flames and they had no means to stop the fire.

Three Rock’s destruction came in Fire Country season 3’s finale after non-stop attacks against it. From Luke Leone wanting to let Three Rock take the fall so that other fire camps could survive after Three Rock’s drug scandal to Oxalta poisoning Three Rock’s drinking water and killing Birch as a result, Three Rock didn’t have any peace in Fire Country seasons 1 to 3, even stopping being inhabited by inmates as Oxalta cleaned up their well. The Zabel Ridge fire burning down Three Rock is thus the final nail in the coffin for the fire camp at Fire Country’s heart.

What Fire Country Season 3's Ending Means For Bode

Losing Vince, Sharon Or Walter Threatens To Destroy Bode

Bode graduating from Three Rock in Fire Country season 2’s ending meant he could finally be closer to his loved ones without having his past in prison negatively influence those relationships, as leaving Three Rock meant he had left behind the old self who created the biggest problems for him. Walter’s dementia diagnosis reminded Bode of the importance of family even more, especially after having lost both Riley and many years with Vince and Sharon after Vince had faulted Bode for Riley’s death.

Seeing Buena Vista’s roof collapse as Sharon, Vince and Walter were still inside has the potential of setting back many of Bode’s advances, as Bode hasn’t lost someone very close to him since Riley a decade prior. Bode’s fall to the ground highlighted his despair, and coupled with the potential loss of Audrey after she confessed to shooting Finn, he could begin Fire Country season 4 facing one of the hardest family deaths without his support system all there to stop him from straying.

Why Gabriela Lied To Protect Audrey & Manny

Audrey & Manny Being Ex-Convicts Puts Them At More Risk Than Gabriela

Hearing the gunshot prompted Manny to run into Vince and Sharon’s place, finding the gun in Gabriela’s hand and Finn with a gunshot wound to the chest. However, it quickly became clear Gabriela hadn’t shot Finn, instead being involved in a physical altercation with him, which distracted him enough for Audrey to take the gun and fire it at Finn, protecting both herself and Gabriela from the stalker who would have likely abducted Gabriela had he only had the chance.

Gabriela being a key Station 42 firefighter and an Edgewater resident made it easy to rally around her as she was being stalked by Finn. However, those who did the most to protect Gabriela were her father Manny and friend Audrey, who were also former convicts. Were Manny or Audrey been accused of trying to kill Finn, they would have inevitably suffered a worse fate than Gabriela, who had never broken the law or been arrested. The truth eventually surfaced, making Audrey’s future extremely challenging if they were to find her guilty, thus making Gabriela’s attempt to defend her admirable.

How Fire Country Season 3's Finale Set Up Season 4

Fire Country Season 4 Has Much To Resolve After Season 3's Cliffhanger Ending

The multiple storylines remaining unsolved from season 3’s ending force Fire Country season 4 to tackle multiple developments upon its return. Indeed, Fire Country season 4 will have to reveal which members of the Leone family died after the Buena Vista roof collapse. Simultaneously, the new season of the firefighting drama will have to reveal which are the next steps for Three Rock’s inmates after their home was destroyed by the Zabel Ridge fire. Fire Country season 4 will also need to update viewers on Audrey’s situation, after she had been the one to shoot Finn.

With between one and three Leones potentially dying in the aftermath of the Zabel Ridge fire, Fire Country season 3’s ending sets up one of the toughest times ahead in Bode’s life. Moreover, were some Leones to survive, Bode would also have to deal with their grief, as he was the reason why Sharon and Vince entered Buena Vista. Whatever the shakeup all these changes would bring to the firefighting drama’s future, Fire Country season 4 has multiple questions to answer once it returns.