WORCESTER, Mass. -- A Worcester woman and some high schoolers rescued her wedding gown from a bridal store that started to fill with smoke from a nearby fire.

NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported Friday that Katie Bullard was forced to run out of Sylvia's Dress Shop while wearing her gown.

"I came in, and I put it on, and I felt something burning," Bullard said.

Bullard was getting a final fitting for her wedding dress when smoke started to fill the Worcester store.

"I started to undress, and that's when I smelled it, and I said, 'OK. Do I take the dress off and leave it and put the clothes back on and go out?' I said, 'No. You know what, I've come this far and I am taking the dress with me,'" Bullard said.

"We were packed with a lot of kids shopping for proms," salesperson Liz Goosby said.

Bullard said the high school students who were in the store helped her a lot.

"They really saved the day. They saved the dress. I had one holding one side, the other side, the front, the back. I forgot the shoes inside, so one of them ran back into the building to get my shoes," Bullard said.

The fire was next door in a Chinese restaurant. No one was hurt, but smoke filled a half block of stores.

Bruce Swirsky, who owns Sylvia's, estimated a $300,000 loss. He said that he has insurance, and he offered promises.

"We're going to make sure everybody is taken care of. I am having all the alterations done tonight so they will have it next week," Swirsky said.

"Two hours those girls stayed with me and Bruce was here at the end, and he even walked me to my truck. His store is a loss, and he is worried about me and my dress," Bullard said.

Bullard will marry fiancee John Fernandes on Valentine's Day in Worcester.

The dress shop may be forced to close for a short time while it restocks.