Spain continued to battle major wildfires on Sunday, especially in the north-western Galicia region where blazes have torn through parched forests for more than a week.

Authorities said emergency services were tackling 18 blazes in Galicia, most of them in the area around the city of Ourense.

Galician authorities have advised people to wear face masks and limit their time spent outdoors to avoid inhaling smoke and ash.

National rail operator Renfe said it suspended the Madrid-Galicia high-speed train service due to the fires.

Spain was expecting the arrival of two Dutch water-dumping planes that were to join aircraft from France and Italy already helping Spanish authorities under a European cooperation agreement.

Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, spoke from Ourense on Sunday giving an update on the country’s wildfires, and thanking fellow EU countries that came to help battle them.

The Spanish national weather agency AEMET said temperatures in the country could surpass 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 Fahrenheit) in some areas on Sunday.

On Saturday, the maximum temperature was 44.7 degrees Celsius (112.46 Fahrenheit) in Cordoba, it said.

Barcelona also set a new record on Saturday for the month of August with 38.9 degrees Celsius (102.02 Fahrenheit)