Hazardous materials incident prompts Pentagon lockdown

WASHINGTON:

A hazardous materials incident put the Pentagon on lockdown on ?Thursday as fire officials investigated the air quality issue, defence and fire officials said.

The Arlington County Fire Department said in a post on X that it had units "including our Hazardous Materials Team" operating at the Pentagon during a "hazardous materials incident". The fire department did not provide further details on the nature of the 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 said in an email.

"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 building was under lockdown, with people evacuated from several floors, ?CNN reported, citing unidentified sources. Floors two through five in corridors four through seven have been locked down, CNN said, citing two sources.

Another source reported seeing emergency responders wearing full gas masks and chemical protection suits, CNN said. A message sent by the Pentagon's security team said additional testing was needed determine the source of the problem, according to CNN.