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VERSAILLES, IL -- A fire that took place Friday afternoon in Brown County, continues to keep a local fire department busy.

According to the Versailles Fire Chief Harry LeMasters, they were called to a business off 2nd and Main Street around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

It was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived.

LeMasters says many flammable items were inside the repair shop, including paint, propane tanks, several vehicles, and a lot of gasoline.

He says that strong winds also made it difficult and dangerous to fight.

The winds even blew burning debris over several blocks causing small grass fires.

The fire burnt nearby phone lines cutting off connection to about 100 people.

It took the department about two hours to put out the initial blaze, but they've continued to monitor the building since yesterday, because several problems still linger.

"We've had several explosions in there all during the night that it just kept going and every time we would have an explosion it would just blare up and take off again on us and with the gusty winds and cold temps it really made it a challenge," said LeMasters.

The building, is a complete loss, but the blaze also caused smoke, water, and fire damage to the vacant restaurant next door.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, but LeMasters along with the state fire marshal's office say a wood burning stove may be to blame.

The building's owner, Dean Cooley, says he left to go pick up parts and was only gone 30 minutes when he arrived to see his business up in flames.

Cooley told us about a quarter of a million dollars worth of his belongings went up in smoke, including a motorcycle, a freight-liner, a bobcat, and several vehicle parts and tools.

Cooley says he can replace some of the items, but there were also priceless, antique items inside the building like his coin, marble, gun and knife collections.

He uses the building to work on motorcycles, which he then hauls and sells in Florida.

In fact he was just about to take a shipment, but now he doesn't know what he'll do.

"What's this do for your business?"

"It puts me out of business. I'm going on my way to Quincy to buy a truck right now," said Cooley.

LeMasters says there are still several concerns going into tonight, including flares-ups, explosions, and the possible building collapsing onto the restaurant.

Cooley says if he can he wants to salvage the building, by taking the walls down about halfway and putting a roof on it.