The tight-knit expat community is rallying around the victims of the Almeria wildfire by offering homes, donating food and helping track down lost loved ones.

Social media groups across Mojacar, Los Gallardos and the surrounding area have been flooded with offers of help for evacuees forced to flee the flames.

One woman, posting from England, appealed for emergency accommodation for her elderly parents, who escaped their villa in Bedar as flames reached the back of their home.

‘They left with nothing, just the clothes they were wearing because everything happened so quickly,’ she wrote.

She explained that her parents had been sleeping partly in a friend’s house and partly in their car because of their two dogs, which become stressed around other animals.

‘The dogs are their world, and at their age they really shouldn’t be sleeping in a car,’ she added.

The appeal prompted dozens of offers, with the family later updating to say they had found somewhere safe to stay.

Elsewhere, another resident offered a three-bedroom village house in Tabernas free of charge for anyone displaced by the fires.

‘If anyone needs temporary free accommodation due to the fires in Bedar, we have a three-bedroom village house you’re welcome to use,’ she wrote.

Another person replied beneath the post: ‘Same for my house in Mojacar – anyone displaced, our three-bed house that sleeps eight is free to use.’

Local businesses have also stepped in.

Italian restaurant Il Forno degli Amici donated dozens of pizzas to people staying at the evacuation centre.

‘It’s only a small gesture, but we hope it brought a little comfort during such a difficult time,’ the restaurant said.

Meanwhile, community groups have been working to verify legitimate fundraising pages before sharing them publicly, amid concerns that scammers could seek to exploit the tragedy.

There have also been emotional pleas from hospitals as relatives continue trying to locate loved ones caught up in the blaze, highlighting the uncertainty many families are still facing.

One woman said she was in the special burns hospital in Sevilla and that she would be available to provide names of the patients transferred from Almeria.

Andalucian president Juanma Moreno acknowledged the outpouring of support on Friday, praising the ‘solidarity’ shown by residents, volunteers and businesses in the wake of the disaster.

He thanked the hundreds of people who have opened their homes, donated supplies and supported evacuees, saying their response had demonstrated ‘the best of Andalucia’ during one of the region’s darkest moments.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.