The Real Reason Stephanie Arcila’s Gabriela Perez Left Fire Country

Fire Country is gearing up for season 4, but fans will feel the heat: Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila are out. As co-creators Joan Rater and Tony Phelan chart the next chapter, the burning question is why Gabriela Perez left—and what her absence means for Bode and the team.

Fire Country is gearing up for Season 4, and the show is making some big swings. Two familiar faces are out (at least for now), and the people running the series are very open about why.

Who is not back for Season 4

• Billy Burke, who played the Cal Fire chief, is not returning.
• Stephanie Arcila, who played Gabriela Perez, is also out for now.

So, why is Gabriela gone?

Fans started guessing about Stephanie Arcila’s exit based on how Season 3 wrapped her story. The producing team says this was more about where the story needed to go than any behind-the-scenes drama.

Showrunner and executive producer Tia Napolitano told Deadline that the cast shakeups are by design. Her take: the show wants to stay true to the very real, very risky world it’s portraying. In real life, people move on, and sometimes worse. That sense of danger needed to be felt in the storytelling.

She also pointed out a quirky bit of context: Season 2 got cut short by the Hollywood strikes, so Season 3 became the time to push the authenticity and raise the stakes. If you’ve watched long-running, character-driven dramas before, you know the playbook — sometimes you open a door and let a character walk out so you can eventually open another one and let them walk back in.

What about Bode and Gabriela?

Co-creator and executive producer Tony Phelan says the Bode–Gabriela saga is not dead, just paused. The team felt those two needed a reset, and Arcila’s exit creates space for that. They clearly want her back down the line because they like the chemistry and know the audience does too.

"The Bode-Gabriela story does not end here."

Translation: absence now, potential reunion later.

The bigger picture

Napolitano, joined by co-creators and executive producers Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, framed these changes as part of keeping the show grounded. Fire Country launched with a slightly left-of-center setup and a cast that clicked instantly, but the producers are leaning into the messiness and risk of the job to keep the drama honest — even if that means saying goodbye to major characters for a while.

Where the season stands

Fire Country Season 4 is rolling out new episodes weekly. Gabriela’s story is off the board for now, but per the people in charge, it’s not closed for good.