Emmetsburg, IA (KICD)– The Palo Alto County Transfer Station has partially reopened following a fire last week that destroyed the facility.

Solid Waste Director Aletha King tells KICD News the building itself is still standing but is considered a total loss. The fire itself is believed to have started in a trailer being used move collected trash which made initial access to the flames more difficult.

King says it could be as much as nine months before operations will be back to normal but as of Wednesday afternoon a roll-off dumpster is available at the site for those with small amounts of trash to discard. Large trailers of items though will have to utilize the Northern Plains Landfill for the time being.