Pentagon Issues Shelter-in-Place Order in Response to 'Hazardous Materials Incident'

The Pentagon implemented “precautionary measures,” including issuing a shelter-in-place order for parts of the complex, on Thursday morning in response to what the local fire department described as a “hazardous materials incident.”

"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,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell toldTIME in a statement. “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." 

The Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) posted on X at 10:41 a.m. local time that it was responding to the incident. 

“ACFD units, including our Hazardous Materials Team, are currently operating at the Pentagon,” the department wrote, noting that they were working in conjunction with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency Hazmat Team in response to a “hazardous materials incident.”

Two sources familiar with the incident told CNN around noon that the lockdown and evacuation were due to a false alarm. The Pentagon and ACFD have not publicly confirmed whether this is the case.

Sources familiar with the matter had previously told the outlet that multiple floors and corridors at the Pentagon had been locked down, including floors two through five in the fourth through the seventh corridors. Others were being evacuated and police in the building were wearing full chemical protective gear and gas masks, sources told the outlet.