Where Is Fire Country Actually Filmed?

Streaming television gets a lot of ink spilled on its behalf, but some of the most popular shows on television still exist thanks to traditional networks. Take "Fire Country," for example. Airing on CBS and kicking off its run in 2022, the show is well into its fourth season and has even generated a spin-off, "Sheriff Country," with "Deadpool" star Morena Baccarin in the lead role.

The series centers on Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot), a young convict who seeks redemption (and a shortened prison sentence) by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California in the town of Edgewater. There, he and other inmates are partnered with seasoned firefighters to extinguish dangerous wildfires across the region. Thieriot, in addition to his starring role, co-created the series in no small part based on the experiences of his firefighter friends.

"I think watching what everybody went through, what all of my buddies were experiencing as firefighters, was certainly what made me want to tell the story," Thieriot said in a 2024 interview with CBS. "A lot of friends have done this for a long time and the things that you have to see and go through, the people that you have to console in those situations, it's not an easy job."

But where is the show actually filmed? How does "Fire Country" capture the spirit of California firefighters and put that on screen? We're going to look at the major filming locations that make this bit of televised fiction feel real for its viewers.

"Fire Country" primarily takes place in the Northern California town of Edgewater. For those planning a visit, not so fast! Edgewater isn't a real town, but it's very much inspired by the places in the state that fall victim to terrible wildfires with regularity. Just look at the horrible fires that devastated the greater Los Angeles area earlier this year.

Thieriot co-created the series alongside Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, known for their work on the long-running "Grey's Anatomy." He grew up in a small town in California himself — Occidental, with just over 1,000 people living there. "That drew me to wanting to create this world. It's something that I grew up around, and a lot of my friends do this job," he explained to PopSugar in 2022. Thieriot thinks that the small town vibe adds something to a show like this.

"When everybody knows everybody, it can be a really great thing and also not such a great thing at the same time. I felt like I really wanted to set the show in that world ... It just felt like the ramifications of ... how all these things affect everybody just seemed like they were elevated."

The actor and producer opted not to set the show in his hometown, but rather a fictional place inspired by it. To bring that place to life, they had to head north of the U.S. border.

Vancouver, Canada, has long been a filming hub for Hollywood movies and TV shows. While quite a few productions do film in California, for reasons often related to cost, studios will often make use of other countries to help get the job done. In this case, CBS and the team behind "Fire Country" looked to the small village of Anmore, located north of the city of Port Moody in British Columbia.

Locations in and around Anmore have been at the center of the majority of what fans see on "Fire Country." A village by the name of Fort Langley is also used by the show to help capture the small town vibe. The production additionally makes use of Vancouver Film Studios for some interior shots, but the Great White North is at the center of the action.

Though it's not California, the country also has its fair share of experience with this brand of disaster. In a 2024 interview with The Gate, Thieriot explained that Canada is no stranger to dealing with devastating wildfires.

"We also have a couple of firefighters who work on our show, who are from Canada. Canada goes through more than their fair share of fires. I know last year was wild and very difficult. A lot of those guys who had long careers as firefighters went up to fight those fires, especially because they needed the resources. Certainly, something that has been in a lot of people's minds these days."

Though the bulk of filming on "Fire Country" is done in Canada, at least some of the show's shots were actually captured in California. Specifically, according to a 2022 report from Lost Coast Outpost, the city of Rio Dell in Humboldt County, California, can be seen in certain shots, at least in season 1 of the show. Several shots also feature the Eel River Valley and Wildwood Avenue.

While California has provided the backdrop to many big productions over the years, shows like this one are selective when it comes to filming in the state. In all likelihood, the production makes use of several aerial shots and things of that nature to provide some of the real California, which can then help lend some credibility to the fictional town within the state that has been created for the series. It goes to show that making a TV show feel real requires many puzzle pieces, assembled correctly. 

You can stream "Fire Country" on Paramount+.