All the fire fighting folks I spoke with, many of whom were from other parts of the country, were taken aback by the outpouring of gratitude and support that the Sedona community showered on them. Again and again, I heard that they had never been so warmly welcomed or so lovely cared for. First there was the cooperation that city and county officials, and local residents, greeted them with; then there were the endless "thank you" signs that spontaneously popped up all over town -- something, one fire official humorously noted today, happened in spite of Sedona's strict sign ordnances; some businesses offered free meals and free massages; and then the donations started flowing in. Word went out that some firefighters needed socks, so piles of brand new socks started arriving; there was a request for calling cards so firefighters could call home, and some 1500 calling cards (last count) were donated. The donation area you see in this picture reportedly started with one table and quickly grew to five. So many residents were showing up with donations, that signs were made to direct them to the donation area. Monetary donations have also been made to the two favorite causes mentioned during this episode: Friends of the Forest and the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.