Get you up to speed: Pentagon “hazardous materials incident” prompts partial lockdown, evacuation
A hazardous materials incident at the Pentagon prompted a lockdown and the deployment of hazmat crews on Thursday. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency confirmed that personnel were instructed to shelter in place in four corridors from the second to the fifth floors.
Hazardous materials crews are actively responding to the incident, while the Pentagon’s safety systems have detected an air quality issue. No timeline has been provided regarding when the affected areas will reopen or when operations will return to normal.
The Pentagon’s measures include a shelter-in-place order for affected areas while air quality issues are assessed, confirmed by spokesman Sean Parnell. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency has instructed personnel to conduct virtual meetings and comply with safety directives until further notice.
What remains unclear — Authorities have not disclosed the nature of the air quality issue detected at the Pentagon.
Pentagon partially locked down following hazardous materials incident
Multiple floors of the Pentagon were locked down Thursday after hazmat crews were deployed for what authorities described as a “hazardous materials incident.”
In a social media post, the Arlington County Fire Department said emergency units, including its hazardous materials team, were “operating at the Pentagon in support of PFPA’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that a shelter-in-place was in effect for affected areas.
“The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants,” Parnell said. “Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance.”
Two sources confirmed some floors have had to evacuate while others are being told to shelter in place.
Shortly before 11 a.m. ET, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency sent an email to Pentagon personnel to shelter in place in four corridors from the second to the fifth floors. All staff were told to comply with the directive, according to the email, which was reviewed by WTX US News. Staff were told to move in person meetings to virtual meetings.