A fire destroyed the only mechanic shop in Gladstone, Man., roughly 150 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Flames and thick black smoke could be seen shooting out of Hunt Mechanical on Sunday afternoon.

"You barely could see much the smoke was so intense black smoke. A lot of popping gas tanks," said resident Doug Bordman.

Residents are in shock as it a big loss for the community of about 1,000 people.

"It's very sad to see it go because small towns are dying and we don't need to lose another business," said resident Maybelle Skanderber. "It makes me want to cry, yeah. It's very sad."

The volunteer fire department was on scene.

"The firemen did a good job keeping it from being a big fire," said Mayor of the Municipality of Westlake-Gladstone, David Single.

The business owners did not want to comment at this time.

- With files from Michelle Gerwing