Fire Country season 4 episode 8 ending explained: Who is the new suspect in the Zabel Ridge Fire?

Fire Country season 4 episode 8, Fresh Start, premiered on December 12, 2025, on CBS. The episode shifts its focus from the ongoing Zabel Ridge Fire investigation and personal grief arcs to the emotional growth and new challenges faced by the Station 42 crew, especially Bode, Eve, and Manny. However, towards the end, the attention turns back to the Zabel Ridge Fire as a new suspect enters the scene.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for the show. Reader’s discretion is advised.

Fire Country season 4 episode 8 opens with Bode participating in a high school drunk driving drill, where a teenager he is attempting to mentor, Tyler, is also present. His mother, Chloe, just happens to be Bode’s old classmate and math tutor, and the two start reconnecting after meeting.

The drill is set up to teach the teenagers the dangers of drunk driving. The emotional effect it has on Tyler and Chloe showcases some deeper issues, especially for the teenager.

When Landon jumps in, Tyler explodes with an angry outburst, showing that the root of his problems lies with him. The reason is soon revealed when Bode drives Chloe home, finds Landon yelling at Tyler, and is about to hit him when the two walk into the room.

Bode confronts Landon, but Chloe steps in, saying she can handle it. At that moment in Fire Country season 4 episode 8, Tyler reveals that Landon might be the one responsible for the Zabel Ridge Fire.

---

Bode shows off his maturity when a new potential suspect for the Zabel Ridge Fire is revealed

Alona Tal plays Chloe in Fire Country season 4 episode 8 (Image via Getty)

Ever since Fire Country season 1 premiere, one thing has been certain, and that’s Bode Leone overreacting at the slightest trigger. The main character’s innate sense of justice has often gotten him into trouble, but for the first time, he holds back. In Fire Country season 4 episode 8, after he drops Chloe off at home, they find Tyler and Landon arguing.

The teenager is at the end of a yelling storm and is about to be hit in the face when they come into the house. Bode then confronts Landon, shoving him against the wall, before Chloe takes over and starts tearing into him. Meanwhile, Bode steps outside with his teenage protégé.

However, that’s when Tyler tells him that Landon might be behind the Zabel Ridge Fire, and the Bode from season 3 and prior would have acted and gotten more than a little violent.

Instead, in Fire Country season 4 episode 8, he shows off his maturity, calls Sharon, and tells her what happened, including Tyler’s tip. She agrees that it’s worth checking out and will tell the investigation team.

All this comes just in time, as Bode officially became a Cal-Fire firefighter prior to the incident, having signed off on his probationary checklist. It gives him something to look forward to in the future.

---

Eve has Three Rock Camp back, but not the way she expected it in Fire Country season 4 episode 8

After breaking up with Francine in the previous episode, Eve throws herself into rebuilding Three Rock camp and hopes to reunite with her old inmate crew. However, that would take several more weeks, if not more.

Manny, who seems overly stressed after taking on his new battalion chief job, is unhappy with the situation as fire season approaches. So he pushes Eve to accept a crew of juvenile inmates.

However, their lack of maturity and teenage nature is evident from the moment they step off the bus. They simply never stop fighting with each other, don’t communicate, and can’t or won’t follow Eve’s simple instructions in Fire Country season 4 episode 8.

It’s clear that Eve has to do a lot of work to whip the boys into shape. Nevertheless, Manny’s having none of that as he pulls rank and forces her brand new crew to cut line in a major forest fire.

It soon becomes clear that the teenagers are a far cry from the inmate firefighting crew that Eve once had. To make matters worse, they don’t follow safety protocol, continue fighting, and even cut a hose in a scuffle in Fire Country season 4 episode 8. It leads to an argument between Eve and Manny. The two lash out, partly due to stress and partly out of frustration at having to deal with teenage inmates.

Fire Country season 4 episode 8 ends with Manny and Eve mending bridges. However, the latter has a lot of work ahead of her if she plans on turning the teenagers into a proper firefighting crew.

---

Interested viewers can watch Fire Country season 4 episode 8 on CBS.

Edited by Riya Peter