Virginia emergency crews, including hazmat and emergency medical teams, deployed to the Pentagon on Thursday morning following what authorities described as a hazardous materials incident.
The incident involved an air quality issue that triggered a shelter-in-place order for parts of the Defense Department headquarters. Multiple floors were locked down and people were evacuated from several levels, with almost half the building affected as emergency services assess the situation.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that sophisticated systems detected the air quality issue, necessitating precautionary measures until its significance is determined. Parnell added that the department is executing standard protection protocols in response to the alert.
The Pentagon is the world's second-largest office building and serves as the workplace for thousands of military and civilian employees of the Defense Department.