Pentagon evacuation live updates: Hazmat crews respond to ‘air quality incident’ with some floors still on lockdown

Police who responded to the Pentagon today over the “air quality issue” were wearing protective gear and gas masks, a source told CNN.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazmat team is leading the response with assistance from the Arlington County Fire Department.

The Pentagon issued a shelter-in-place order for certain areas of the facility after an “air quality issue” prompted a hazmat response.

According to CNN, certain corridors on floors two through five of the building were placed on lockdown in response to the incident.

Arlington Fire & EMS was at the Pentagon in support of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s Hazmat Team “during a hazardous materials incident,” the EMS service wrote on X.

The Pentagon, located near the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C., area, serves as the Defense Department’s headquarters.

Its employees include 24,000 military personnel and civilians, along with 3,000 non-defense support workers.

The building first opened in 1943, after about two years of construction.

Security officials at the Pentagon detailed the ongoing response to the “air quality issue” that prompted a lockdown at the facility, according to a message obtained by CNN.

“This additional testing could take one to two hours. Response teams are in place and ready to support building occupants if necessary. You may observe response personnel from multiple agencies and precautionary measures taking place in the center courtyard. Please do not interpret these activities,” the message reads.

The Pentagon detected an air quality issue this morning that prompted a lockdown and response from hazmat teams.

“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. The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area. Response teams are in place and ready to support building occupants,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told The Independent.

The Arlington County Fire Department confirmed its units, including a “hazardous materials team,” are responding to the incident.

Those units are providing support to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazmat team, which has taken the lead on the response, according to the department.