A major fire forces 30,000 employees to evacuate the Pentagon

On July 2, 1959, a major fire broke out in the Air Force Statistical Center services office at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The incident forced approximately 30,000 military and civilian employees to evacuate the headquarters, disrupting administrative operations within one of the largest government office buildings in the United States. According to the historical account, the fire destroyed approximately $30 million worth of computer equipment, representing a substantial loss of data-processing infrastructure during a period when electronic computing was becoming increasingly important to military administration. The incident demonstrated the operational risks associated with concentrating extensive personnel, technological equipment, and defense-related activities within a single building. It also became a notable event in the Pentagon's history of facility safety and emergency management.