A hazmat team is responding to a 'hazardous materials incident' at the Pentagon (AFP via Getty Images)The Pentagon is on lockdown amid an “air quality issue” as a hazmat team rushes to the defense facility.The building’s systems detected an “air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told The Independent on Thursday morning.“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,” he added.The Arlington County Fire Department also confirmed its units, including a hazardous materials team, are responding to the facility. They’re assisting the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazmat team, which is leading the response, according to the department. Some people have also been evacuated from the facility, CNN reports. A source told the network they spotted police wearing protective gear, including gas masks. Officials are completing “additional testing” that could take “one to two hours,” according to a message from Pentagon security officials obtained by the network. The Pentagon, located near the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C., area, serves as the Defense Department’s headquarters. About 24,000 military personnel and civilians work in the building, along with 3,000 non-defense support workers. Arlington Fire & EMS assisting Pentagon Force Protection Agency in response Arlington Fire & EMS was at the Pentagon in support of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s Hazmat Team “during a hazardous materials incident,” the EMS service wrote on X.Isabel Keane11 June 2026 17:09What is the Pentagon?The Pentagon, located near the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C., area, serves as the Defense Department’s headquarters.Its employees include 24,000 military personnel and civilians, along with 3,000 non-defense support workers. The building first opened in 1943, after about two years of construction. (Reuters)Katie Hawkinson11 June 2026 17:05Pentagon officials doing 'additional testing'Security officials at the Pentagon detailed the ongoing response to the “air quality issue” that prompted a lockdown at the facility, according to a message obtained by CNN.“This additional testing could take one to two hours. Response teams are in place and ready to support building occupants if necessary. You may observe response personnel from multiple agencies and precautionary measures taking place in the center courtyard. Please do not interpret these activities,” the message reads.Katie Hawkinson11 June 2026 16:51Pentagon 'air quality issue' sparks hazmat responseThe Pentagon detected an air quality issue this morning that prompted a lockdown and response from hazmat teams."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. 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," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told The Independent.The Arlington County Fire Department confirmed its units, including a “hazardous materials team,” are responding to the incident. Those units are providing support to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazmat team, which has taken the lead on the response, according to the department. Katie Hawkinson11 June 2026 16:47