: A general view of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo
Editor’s Note: CNN reports as of noon E.S.T. that the Pentagon lockdown is over and was a false alarm. Chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller told CNN that after the anthrax attacks in the early 2000s, sensors were put in to detect things in the air. Miller explained that a cleaning substance could ultimately be flagged because it's so sensitive. He explained that false positives happen more often than not.
Original story below.
Floors two through five and corridors four through seven in the Pentagon are locked down Thursday morning as an incident involving the air quality is being dealt with.
According to the local Arlington Fire and EMS, the Hazardous Materials team is operating there "in support of PFPA’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident."
Police are wearing gas masks and full chemical protective gear, CNN reported.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer was concerned that those working there might be in danger because they're locked down. Others are likely being evacuated, the report said.
The air quality issue is necessitated a "precautionary measure," the Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
Retired Colonel Cedric Leighton remarked, "There are certain facilities within the Pentagon that are windowless facilities. So the only air supply that they're going to get is from the air handling system is in the Pentagon. Then there's the NMCC, the National Military Command Center," which is in the basement of the Pentagon," Leighton explained. Those areas are "critically important to the national security of the United States and to the operations of the military." It's happening at a time when the military is at war with Iran, he noted.
He said that what must happen quickly is for those staffers to move to another operations center.
Sabrina Singh, former deputy Pentagon press secretary, explained that there are plans in place for such emergencies and they're fully prepared. She anticipates it'll resolve quickly.
There are thousands of offices in the Pentagon, and she said that it will likely impact over 20,000 people in the building.
It remains unclear what the specifics are, said Haley Britzky, CNN's senior national security reporter. She added that it is all happening quickly.
The last time there was an evacuation this large was September 11, 2001, after the plane hit the building.