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Kiele Sanchez joined Station 19 in season 6 as Kate Powell, a firefighter filling in for Ben Warren. Fans were excited to see her back in season 7, especially because of the possibility of her and Theo Ruiz getting together. However, Kate's story ended tragically in the series finale as she was the only one who didn't make it out of the apocalyptic fire tornado that hit Seattle.
From her short stint in season 6 to her longer run in season 7, Kate's time on Station 19 was a wild ride. Fans instantly took a liking to her as she made an impact on her colleagues.
Kate Powell's character arc and death in Station 19
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In the final episode of Station 19, firefighter Kate Powell, played by Kiele Sanchez, tragically got sucked into a fire tornado during a wildfire in Seattle. While her fellow firefighters dealt with burns and smoke inhalation, Kate was the only one who didn't make it out alive.
Peter Paige and Zoanne Clack, the showrunners, mentioned that Kate's death amplified the drama of the fire tornado without having to kill off any of the main characters. They thought about how a sad ending to the series would affect the audience and decided to show the seriousness of the situation through Kate's death instead.
The makers talked about possibly killing some other characters, like Maya, Travis, and Dr. Carina, but in the end, they decided Kate would be the only one to bite the dust in the finale.
Paige told TVLine:
“I personally was against killing a major regular character. But we really needed to show how big and apocalyptic this fire was, how at-risk everyone was. So Kate was very helpful in raising the stakes.”
Kate Powell's background and role in Station 19
Kate Powell used to work with Theo Ruiz at Station 54, and they hit it off right away. Kate wasted no time making her mark at Station 19 by giving everyone nicknames, which may have rubbed some people the wrong way.
She told Theo he should own being the temporary captain and that he deserved it. Kate also mentioned she had a side gig with a private firefighting company. Things got interesting between Kate and Theo at the firefighter's ball when they ended up kissing. Their romance was cut short though when the floor gave way and Kate got stuck under rubble.
In season 7, Kate joined Station 19 as a regular team member. It seemed like her presence was tied to Jack Gibson's health scare at the gala. Kate kept working with Theo, and in the season 7 preview, she mentioned wanting to date him.
During the finale, Kate tragically lost her life trying to stop a wildfire in Seattle. She was the only main character to die as the rest of the team managed to survive the apocalyptic event. Kate's passing was a real shocker and left a big impact on the show.
Nonetheless, her friendship with Theo and the other firefighters was unforgettable.
Fans can catch up on Station 19 and its final season on ABC.
