Pentagon Lifts Lockdown After Air Quality Issue Tests Find No Hazard

The Pentagon was placed on lockdown for several hours Thursday after its monitoring systems detected an “air quality issue” that prompted hazardous-materials response teams to the building.

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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “Earlier this morning, Pentagon occupants were notified of a potential air quality issue, prompting immediate precautionary safety measures and evaluation,” and employees in several parts of the building were ordered to shelter in place until testing was completed.

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The Washington Post reported that by 1:30 p.m., normal activities had resumed after the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and Arlington County and Alexandria fire departments responded to the scene.

The BBC said 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, and that the Pentagon later issued an updated statement at around 13:30 EDT.

The BBC also reported that police in the building had been wearing gas masks and full chemical protective gear during the incident.

In updated statements, Parnell said subsequent checks resolved the alert, with the BBC quoting him: “Subsequent testing confirmed no hazard exists, and normal operations have resumed.”

The Washington Post described that the Pentagon’s monitoring systems “detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures,” and that employees were told the additional testing could take one to two hours.

ABC7 Los Angeles

The National reported that “Subsequent testing confirmed no hazard exists, and normal operations have resumed,” and said some Pentagon personnel in the seven-floor building were evacuated while a shelter-in-place order covered the affected area.

ABC7 Los Angeles said the partial lockdown was lifted after no hazards were found, and it described that portions of the Pentagon had gone into a shelter-in-place earlier Thursday after officials locked down multiple floors and hallways.

The Hill said the Pentagon Force Protection Agency later stated that the shelter-in-place continued in affected areas “until all clear is given,” before restrictions were lifted.

Arlington County Fire Department units, including a hazardous materials team, responded to the Pentagon in support of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident, according to posts cited by The Washington Post and The National.

“Air testing confirms 'no hazard exists' at Pentagon after lockdown incident Normal operations have resumed at the Pentagon after the building was earlier placed on lockdown following the detection of an "air quality issue" that sent hazardous material (hazmat) response teams to the scene”

BBC

The Washington Post said CNN first Hazmat units from the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and the Arlington County and Alexandria fire departments had responded after the building’s monitoring systems flagged the issue.

The National said the Arlington County Fire Department stated, “ACFD units, including our Hazardous Materials Team, are currently operating at the Pentagon in support of PFPA’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident,” and that the lockdown ended after the update.

Newsweek reported that the evacuation and corridor-level lockdowns were triggered when a Pentagon sensor system detected the possible presence of anthrax, but that subsequent testing confirmed no hazard and normal operations resumed.

The Washington Post and BBC both tied the all-clear to the Pentagon’s internal testing and precautionary protocols, with Parnell describing the shelter-in-place order as part of standard protection measures while officials determined the significance of the air quality issue.