NC man locked 5 kids inside a mobile home. Then he set it on fire, officials say.

A Burke County man is accused of attempting to set a mobile home on fire while five children were locked inside.

A deputy was called to the mobile home in Morganton around 5:30 Wednesday evening. The caller told officials the man had poured gasoline in the home, locked himself and the children inside, before setting the home on fire, according to the Burke County Sheriff's Office.

The responding deputy smelled gas when he arrived, and removed the children from the home, officials said.

Officials determined the man, 37-year-old Floyd Elmer Tate, did pour gas in the home before lighting it. He extinguished the fire before it caused extensive damage, officials said.

Tate was charged with arson, communicating threats and child abuse, according to the sheriff's office. He was expected to make his first court appearance Thursday.

This story was originally published July 5, 2018 at 1:52 PM.