- After a heavy rain storm, lighting struck a popular cypress tree in Lake Martin which caused it to catch on fire.
- One resident who has been living in Lake Martin for several years captured it all on video.
- The cypress tree after being struck twice by lighting, is still standing.
Mike Guillory has lived on Lake Martin for 27 years, just living right around the corner from the well known tree.
"First thing people see is that tree so they walk out here and they take a picture of the tree because it's a pretty tree," Guillory expresses. "It has moss on it, so everybody that comes out here there's probably 50,000 people that come out here and they all take pictures of that tree."
He tells KATC that he rushed home after getting a call from his daughter that the beloved landmark was struck by lighting and on fire.
"She said 'I heard this big lighting and it shook the house and everything" and she was scared so I came home."
Guillory capturing videos and photos right after tree was hit by lighting and although sad about the beautiful tree, this isn't the first time it was electrocuted.
"It struck it before and it smolder. "It smolder for two weeks but it's a tough tree, so it did come back," he says.
The historic cypress tree and the people of the south according to him, can overcome anything.
"Cajun people are resilient they always bounce back and are very resourceful through tough times so yeah, it's part of our culture."
