Wise words (beware heavy rains!) and interesting recovery efforts (crowd funding!) as Big Sur Fire burns.

The fire came violently and unforgivingly, in the middle of the night.

It also came quickly.

While a range of responses have been speedy themselves, so has locals' scramble to get back on their feet.

One particularly modern and intriguing approach to scraping together recovery monies: crowd funding.

At least two families affected by the fires have raised upwards of several thousand dollars—literally overnight—on the site Go Fund Me.

"On December 16th, 2014 (sic) Nathan & Arianna lost all of their worldly belongings to a wildfire in Big Sur, CA," writes Michelle Ma Belle on behalf of Nathan and Arianna Neff and their 1-year-old son Atticus. "Since they have no current home to store items, and did not have renters insurance to cover their loss, monetary contributions are the best way to help out in this moment." 

The page has already helped gather then 236 Facebook shares and $1,460.

Selena Nevarez Perez had this on the same site: "I am hoping to help my family who lost everything but the clothes on their back to a fire on December 15th just before Christmas.

"No donation is to small. Please if you can only afford $1.00 it all adds up. They need everything, underwear, clothes, toothbrushes, shoes, jackets etc. The bills are not going to stop either. I know everyone is asking for money this time of year but if everyone in my circle can donate just their coffee money or what they would have spent on one gift for someone their life can get back to a new normal just a little bit faster. Thank you so much and Merry Christmas!"

They've already pulled together $3,390, to which Perez replies, "Everyone's support just takes my breath away and all of your comments are so heartwarming. We are so blessed to be part if such an amazing community! Thank you everyone again for your support and for passing the word on."

•••

Meanwhile, veteran—and anonymous—South Coast blogging authority Xasáuan Today had some good insight that's a little more old school.

XT maintains a string of information centered around Big Sur nature, the Ventana Wilderness and, as the site's banner reads, "fire/flood/weather/webcam etc. links," from "the heart of the northern Santa Lucias." 

The slogan beneath the title: "Because Nature Bats Last."

And the featured quote at the top of the site: "The earth is a paradise, the only one we will ever know. We will realize it the moment we open our eyes. We don't have to make it a paradise—it is one." -Henry Miller

Two thoughts stuck out to me in particular as he or she reflected on the first day of fires:

• A December fire underlines just how dry a year 2013 has been. Yet this is still the rainy season and heavy rains might be only weeks away. Hard rain on recently burned slopes can cause real problems.

• Losing a home is never easy, but those who live in fire country brace themselves for the possibility every fire season, only relaxing when the rains begin to fall. Part of what makes this fire so traumatic is that it arrived when least expected; in the middle of the night, in the middle of December, and following enough rain to start the new grass sprouting.

For more on the Big Sur Fire, visit the Weekly news blog.