Pentagon initiates lockdown and evacuation after hazardous materials alert
Several floors of the Pentagon were placed under lockdown and others evacuated Thursday after an air quality issue triggered a hazardous materials response.
The Pentagon announced a lockdown of multiple floors and corridors on Thursday after its monitoring systems detected an air quality problem that officials described as a hazardous materials incident. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department is following standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected areas, while response teams remain on standby to assist occupants.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazardous-materials response team, together with the Arlington County Fire Department, is handling the situation, according to Capt. Jamie Jill of the fire department. A social-media post from Arlington Fire & EMS confirmed that its hazardous-materials unit is operating at the Pentagon.
A security message to building occupants indicated that additional testing could take one to two hours and advised people not to interpret the presence of multiple agencies and precautionary measures as anything other than a safety response. Floors two through five, specifically corridors four through seven, were locked down, and police inside the complex were observed wearing gas masks and full chemical protective gear.
