A fire at the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina triggered an emergency response Wednesday evening, prompting precautionary restrictions on traffic around the federal complex near Aiken.

Savannah River Site officials declared a Site Area Emergency at 5:39 p.m. Site entrances were closed to incoming vehicles, while rail, river and air traffic in the vicinity were restricted as response teams worked at the laboratory.

Employees in affected areas who were not involved in emergency response or shutdown operations were directed to shelter as a precaution. State and local agencies were notified as site officials coordinated the response.

The laboratory is part of the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, a large federal complex that supports nuclear research, national security and environmental cleanup work. Officials had not announced a cause for the fire in their emergency release.

UPDATE – Wednesday, October 28, 10:08 p.m. Eastern: Officials said the fire has been extinguished, with no contamination reported outside the affected facility. The Site Area Emergency ended at 9:45 p.m., protective actions were lifted and entrance barricades reopened. Incoming shift workers were told to report as usual, with other employees due back on their normal Thursday schedules.