Photos submitted by John Laymon

Longleaf Pine trees are a lot of things: plentiful, beautiful, the official state tree of Alabama, and the bane of meticulous lawn keepers. They also make one heckuva lightning rod. 

John Laymon, a Myrtle Beach local and Director of Residential Real Estate for the The Jackson Companies, got up early this morning to catch a little SportsCenter when he noticed an orange glow coming from across the street.  He called 9-1-1 right away but, from the looks of the pictures, it may have been too late.

Laymon spoke with the fire investigator that believes lightning may have traveled down one of the tall pines and into a propane line going to the house. The good news is the residence is a second home for a Virginia family and nobody was occupying the home at the time.