Chicago Fire is heading into Season 15 with one of its most intense cliffhangers yet. The Season 14 finale of the NBC drama left nearly all of Firehouse 51 in serious danger after the team responded to a structure fire that erupted into chaos. For a show built around the risks faced by firefighters and first responders, the finale still managed to raise the stakes, leaving fans wondering who will make it out.
Miranda Rae Mayo, who plays Lieutenant Stella Kidd, addressed the explosive ending while speaking with TV Insider at ATX TV Festival. “I know nothing about the resolution,” Mayo said.
That includes the immediate aftermath of the finale’s final moments, which saw Truck on the ladder when a fireball erupted from inside the building. Mayo’s Kidd was among those caught in the danger, though she noted that news of her and Taylor Kinney’s contracts suggests both Stella and Kelly Severide will return.
Still, Mayo made it clear that returning to the show does not necessarily mean returning to work at 51 unchanged. “Everyone is in danger,” she said. “Nobody’s safe really.”
The finale unfolded through flashbacks to the structure fire, with nearly all of 51 responding. Former battalion chief Pascal, played by Dermot Mulroney, was also at the scene, though not on the clock. Paramedics Violet and Novak were outside and safe when things went wrong, but could only listen as a Mayday call came through.
Inside, Squad and Engine found the fire and became trapped, while Truck ran into danger on the ladder during their descent.
Mayo said she first saw the finale’s final moments during ADR and had a huge reaction.
“I actually saw the finale, the last moments in ADR and I wish I had my phone. I would show you my reaction,” she said. “It’s hilarious. It’s just like us screaming because it’s a huge stunt. We’re just engulfed in fire.”
She also praised the stunt team and crew for pulling off the sequence, singling out Rick LeFevour Sr., Rick LeFevour Jr. and Shawnah Donley. “It was an incredible stunt,” Mayo said. “The entire crew, we shot it the last day of filming, and I think I was actually wrapped and I came back to see the stunt.”
When asked which characters she is most worried about, Mayo pointed to Herrmann, played by David Eigenberg, Ballard, played by Leroy Williams III, and Vasquez, played by Brandon Larracuente.
The danger may not only come in the form of death. Mayo suggested the fallout could also include injuries serious enough to change who is able to remain on shift.
“Maybe we’ll still be on the show, but who knows if we’ll still be on shift,” she said.
That would be a major shakeup for Chicago Fire, which has never been afraid to write out characters or put its ensemble through major transitions. The series, produced in Chicago, remains a cornerstone of NBC’s One Chicago franchise and one of the city’s most visible television productions.
Season 15 will now have to answer the question hanging over Firehouse 51: who survives the blast, and what does survival cost?
For now, Mayo is keeping fans on edge.
Nobody’s safe.
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