A hazardous materials incident prompted a lockdown at the Pentagon on Thursday as fire officials investigated an air quality issue, defense and fire officials said.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated in an email: “The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants. Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance.”
He added that the Department is following standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area, with response teams on site and ready to support building occupants.
The building was placed under lockdown, and occupants were evacuated from multiple floors, according to CNN, citing sources familiar with the situation. Floors two through five in corridors four through seven were specifically locked down.
Emergency responders were seen wearing full gas masks and chemical protection suits, one source told CNN. A message from the Pentagon’s security team indicated that additional testing was underway to identify the source of the problem.
The Pentagon, a five-sided structure struck during the al-Qaeda attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, is one of the world’s largest office buildings.
