Hazmat crews respond to Pentagon air quality issue

Emergency crews responded to the Pentagon on Thursday morning after building systems detected an air quality issue, prompting authorities to order people in an affected area to shelter in place.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Defense Department was taking precautionary steps while officials worked to determine the significance of the issue.

“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.”

Parnell said the department was “executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area.” He added that response teams were in place and ready to support building occupants.

The Arlington County Fire Department said in a post on X that its emergency units, including its hazardous materials team, were operating at the Pentagon in support of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazmat team during what authorities described as a “hazardous materials incident.”

Firefighters were investigating the incident at the Pentagon, the sprawling headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. Further details about the nature of the air quality issue, the specific area affected or whether anyone was injured were not immediately available.

The Pentagon is a 600,000-square-meter facility and the world’s largest low-rise office building, Al Jazeera reported. Nearly 30,000 military and civilian personnel work there each day.