Hundreds of firefighters backed by more than two dozen water-dropping planes were battling a major forest fire raging out of control Monday on the northern fringes of the Greek capital.

A children’s hospital and a military hospital were being evacuated early Monday morning, the fire department said, while evacuation orders were issued for more than a dozen areas, including Marathon and several Athens suburbs. Authorities in nearby suburbs were opening at least one sports hall and providing rooms in hotels for evacuees.