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Winston-Salem cab company adjusting operations, many vehicles left within evacuation zone

Abdul Barry says he's having to take customer calls alone because his employees can't work from the office.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A Winston-Salem cab company is having to adjust its operations due to the fire at Weaver Fertilizer on Cherry Street.

News 2 spoke to the owner of Classic Cab Company who said he's having to take customer calls alone because his employees can't work from the office.

"We are trying to do the best to handle the situation," Abdul Barry said. 

Barry tells News 2 his business is 0.8 miles away from the fertilizer plant. 

In order to keep operations going, he had to transfer all incoming office calls to his cell phone. 

"The first week of the month is the busiest month. It's where we get thousands of calls and right now we just have one single line working on a cell phone so that's how I'm operating right now," Barry said.

He said he usually has dispatchers and phone operators taking calls.

Barry's 25 drivers were also impacted. He said not all of them are working because they didn't have time to pick up their cars before the evacuation.

"It's frustrating cause that's bread and butter and how they make living and they don't have access to vehicles," Barry said.

Baneta Sutton works at Classic Cab Company. She saw the fire from the office Monday night the moment it started. 

"It was my first time seeing something like that and I didn't know it was going to affect me like that. It was pretty wild, it was big. it was smoke in the air I was appalled by it. It was a bit much for me," Sutton said. 

Classic Cab Company employees still don't have access to the office. Still, Sutton has offered to help Barry take on any lingering calls. 

"If you want to you can have the calls forwarded to my phone or to my husband's phone. Then, I can use my laptop to call the other drivers to give them trips, just to take the load off of them," Sutton said.

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