In the summer of 2021, Turkey faced the most severe forest fires in its history. Far exceeding a mere environmental disaster, the crisis entailed profound ecological degradation, political tensions, and serious security concerns, as eight people lost their lives, thousands were displaced, and fragile ecosystems were severely disrupted. The wildfires also exposed critical fault lines between the government—traditionally regarded as the main security provider—and local communities, which criticised the official response. Grounded in a vernacular security perspective, this chapter investigates how divergent ‘official’ and ‘vernacular’ narratives shaped public understandings of threat, insecurity, and resilience. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with local residents and content analysis of governmental statements, the study finds that local experiences contested state-centric accounts, highlighting a broader struggle over the meaning, scope, and provision of security. By illuminating tensions between top-down firefighting strategies and grassroots coping mechanisms, the analysis reveals how the wildfires brought to the surface conflicting conceptualisations of security. Ultimately, the chapter offers insights into Turkey’s multifaceted wildfire crisis, underscoring how integrating local knowledge and practices could foster a more comprehensive understanding of non-elite insecurities and support more inclusive, community-based approaches to fire governance.