Sabina Gadecki and Billy Burke Getty Images (2)
Sabina Gadecki has come to call her Fire Country costars “family,” but seeing Billy Burke at her farewell dinner was still unexpected.
Warning: Spoilers below for Fire Country season 2, episode 5.
During the Friday, April 5, episode of the CBS series, Gadecki’s character, Cara, died after an ambulance accident damaged her brain. Although the death was difficult for fans and Gadecki to swallow, her castmates gave her a sweet send off to soften the blow.
“My husband came into town and he was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to dinner with Max [Thieriot] and [his wife] Lexi [after] they came in from Washington,” Gadecki, 40, exclusively recalled to Us Weekly ahead of Friday’s episode. “So, I thought we were going to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Vancouver.”
When she walked in, she spotted “all the series regulars,” including Kevin Alejandro, Stephanie Arcila, Jordan Calloway and Burke, 57, who plays fire captain Vince Leone.
Gadecki was most taken aback by Burke’s attendance, revealing he “doesn’t show” up to anything. “Billy does not want to go to any of these things,” she explained, noting that the two actors previously worked together on 2012’s Freaky Deaky when she was 26 years old.
Sabina Gadecki Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Mrs. Alice
“To be reconnected with Billy was amazing [on Fire Country] and to see him there and everyone did the sweetest thing in the world,” she gushed. “They all went around the table and all gave me a compliment of something positive that I provided on and off camera to them. I was crying.”
Gadecki, who joined the cast halfway through season 1 in 2023, admitted “everyone was crying” because it was a “very sweet and beautiful” moment.
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“It’s funny because when I first walked in, I’m like, ‘Is everyone here for me?’ I was about to start crying because I didn’t know. It was a surprise,” she continued. “They surprised me with a farewell dinner, and it was really thoughtful and really touching.”
The actress remembered a sweet remark that Alejandro, who plays Manny Perez, told her at the table. “He’s like, ‘We’ve never had someone recur on the show that touched our hearts in this way.’ And so I feel like they really brought me in and welcomed [me],” she revealed. “It felt like family.”
Just like with all families, there were also moments of laughter that came during the bittersweet goodbye.
“Billy sent me a picture of the coffin scene [at Cara’s funeral] and he’s like, ‘How you doing in there? Can you breathe?’ I was like, ‘My heart hurts,’” Gadecki told Us, remembering Burke’s advice during the emotional moment., “[He said,] ’Your heart shouldn’t hurt.’ He’s like, ‘I know this stinks. … But you got a funeral and a really beautiful, beautiful episode and a beautiful farewell.’”
Gadecki couldn’t agree more, adding, “I feel like nothing but love and joy in my heart for where my character was able to go. So I feel thankful for that.”
Fire Country puts in a lot of work to make their cast look nearly unrecognizable on the show. The CBS series, which premiered in 2022, follows inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) as he gets a chance to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. Bode gets assigned to his hometown where […]
She was so touched by the openness of the cast that before leaving the set, Gadecki gifted everyone custom jewelry.
“I gave everyone necklaces that say, ‘Fire Family’ and bracelets that have beads that say in Morse code that say ‘Fire Family,’” Gadecki shared with Us, noting that she gave a speech as well following an emotional few days.
She recalled: “I tried to speak, and I couldn’t get the words out. … You pour your heart and soul into a character for a year and a half and Cara [became] a part of me, and so it’s hard to say goodbye.”
Fire Country airs on CBS Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.
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