Mansion dangling off cliff in Texas set on fire

WATCH ABOVE: Mansion dangling off cliff in Texas set on fire

TORONTO – A luxury home in Texas on the verge of falling into a lake was set on fire early Friday afternoon.

The owners vacated the 4000 square-foot home, which sits 75-feet above Lake Whitney in Hill County, after a crack in the cliff was discovered two weeks ago.

Earlier this week the bluff started crumbling, taking part of the house with it.

Neighbours across the lake told WFAA that it sounded like an earthquake when the cliff began crashing into the water.

Aerial footage released Wednesday (below) gave a clear view of the extensive damage the home has endured.

Debris from a section of it can be seen in the footage scattered below and the interior is exposed.

New video released by CBS on Thursday showed how massive the crack in the bluff had grown.

“It could go at any time. It could go tonight. We just don’t know,” Hill County Chief Deputy Mark Wilson told CBS.

The owner decided to burn the house Friday morning.

After close to two hours of prep work by officials, the home was set ablaze just before 1 p.m. ET.

Black smoke billowed out and the home was quickly engulfed in flames.

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Chunks of the house falling off the cliff set the debris below on fire.

A long-reach excavator will be used to clear the debris after the fire is out.

Building permits are not required in unincorporated areas of Hill County, which is why the house was allowed to be built so close to the edge of the cliff.

According to The Associated Press, the house was built in 2007 and is worth more than $700,000US.