Homeowner torches house teetering on Texas cliff - Photos

LAKE WHITNEY, TX -- The owner of a vacant luxury house teetering on a crumbling 75-foot cliff over a Central Texas lake decided to burn the house and clear the lot of the debris.

Authorities say destroying the 4,000-square-foot house by fire was better than waiting for it to topple into Lake Whitney. The cost of removing mounds of debris from the lake could prove prohibitive.

The homeowners consented to Friday's demolition about 60 miles south of Fort Worth.

The house was condemned and the owners evacuated the property about two weeks ago. Chunks of the cliff - and the $700,000 home - had been tumbling into the water.

Tom Hemrick, Hill County's emergency management coordinator, says the owners will have the charred debris moved to stable land and crews will remove the slab.

The residence was built in 2007.

Tax records show it was worth more than $700,000.