Normal operations resumed at the Pentagon after the building went into a lockdown Thursday over an “air quality issue.”
Hazmat teams responded after the defense facility’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. Parts of the building were then placed on lockdown.
Normal operations resumed around 1:30 p.m. local time, after “subsequent testing confirmed no hazard exists,” Parnell wrote on social media.
Sources told CNN the response was triggered by a malfunctioning sensor system that detected possible anthrax in the air. The Independent has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
In addition to the lockdown, some people were evacuated from the facility, CNN reports.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazmat team responded, assisted by units from the Arlington County Fire Department.
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.
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