diff --git a/src/node_buffer.cc b/src/node_buffer.cc
index 2e5115a2394..d7f63b2ec2e 100644
--- a/src/node_buffer.cc
+++ b/src/node_buffer.cc
@@ -296,18 +296,42 @@ Handle<Value> Fill(const Arguments &args) {
   HandleScope scope(node_isolate);
 
   ARGS_THIS(args.This())
-  int value;
-
-  if (args[0]->IsString()) {
-    String::AsciiValue at(args[0]);
-    value = (*at)[0];
-  } else {
-    value = static_cast<char>(args[0]->Int32Value());
-  }
-
   SLICE_START_END(args[1], args[2], obj_length)
 
-  memset(obj_data + start, value, length);
+  if (args[0]->IsNumber()) {
+    int value = args[0]->Uint32Value() & 255;
+    memset(obj_data + start, value, length);
+    return args.This();
+  }
+
+  String::Utf8Value at(args[0]);
+  size_t at_length = at.length();
+
+  // optimize single ascii character case
+  if (at_length == 1) {
+    int value = static_cast<int>((*at)[0]);
+    memset(obj_data + start, value, length);
+    return args.This();
+  }
+
+  size_t in_there = at_length;
+  char* ptr = obj_data + start + at_length;
+
+  memcpy(obj_data + start, *at, MIN(at_length, length));
+
+  if (at_length >= length)
+    return args.This();
+
+  while (in_there < length - in_there) {
+    memcpy(ptr, obj_data + start, in_there);
+    ptr += in_there;
+    in_there *= 2;
+  }
+
+  if (in_there < length) {
+    memcpy(ptr, obj_data + start, length - in_there);
+    in_there = length;
+  }
 
   return args.This();
 }
diff --git a/test/simple/test-buffer.js b/test/simple/test-buffer.js
index 19fa4eacb0e..6975c8e4e58 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-buffer.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-buffer.js
@@ -120,6 +120,10 @@ for (var i = 0; i < b.length; i++) {
   assert.strictEqual(cntr, b[i]);
 }
 
+// copy string longer than buffer length (failure will segfault)
+var bb = new Buffer(10);
+bb.fill('hello crazy world');
+
 
 var caught_error = null;
 
@@ -637,6 +641,12 @@ for (var i = 0; i < 16; i++) assert.equal(0, b[i]);
 for (; i < 32; i++) assert.equal(1, b[i]);
 for (; i < b.length; i++) assert.equal(0, b[i]);
 
+var buf = new Buffer(10);
+buf.fill('abc');
+assert.equal(buf.toString(), 'abcabcabca');
+buf.fill('է');
+assert.equal(buf.toString(), 'էէէէէ');
+
 ['ucs2', 'ucs-2', 'utf16le', 'utf-16le'].forEach(function(encoding) {
   var b = new Buffer(10);
   b.write('あいうえお', encoding);