A Monroe County man charged with setting an oxygen line on fire in the emergency room at the Gnaden Huetten Campus of Blue Mountain Health System waived a scheduled preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

James Akowi Mauhili, 34, of Pocono Summit, lit the fire in the emergency room of the hospital at about 5:50 a.m. on Jan. 26.Earlier that morning, Mauhili is also accused of lighting a fire behind a Walmart store in Mount Pocono. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on charges pertaining to that incident on March 31.Mauhili faces numerous Monroe County charges including arson and risking a catastrophe in that incident. His preliminary hearing is scheduled before District Judge Philip R. Riley in Mountainhome.Mauhili is incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $200,000 cash bail on the hospital arson. Bail is listed at $50,000 in the Monroe incident.The Carbon hearing was scheduled to be held at the office of District Judge Edward M. Lewis of Jim Thorpe. The waiver was asked just before the hearing was scheduled to start.Mauhili is charged with arson - danger of death or bodily injury, arson endangering property and risking a catastrophe, all of them felonies.The arresting officer is patrolman Neal A. Ebbert of the Lehighton Police Department.Ebbert wrote in his affidavit that he received a call on Jan. 26 at 5:50 a.m. about a male attempting to light a fire in the emergency room of the hospital.At the hospital, nurses Edie Berger and Paul Vrablic told Ebbert that Mauhili had been brought to the hospital for treatment by his mother.The affidavit says Mauhili was placed into a room and advised he had to change into hospital clothes. He refused."When the nurse came back into the room, he observed (Mauhili) igniting the oxygen line on fire. He was using a lighter," the affidavit says. "This oxygen line is a live feed of oxygen from the main tank to be used for treatment of patients."Damage to the hospital was minimal."Nurse Vrablic had to take measure to place the fire under control to prevent further damage or injuries to persons on scene. Nurse Berger advised (Mauhili) that he could have injured, killed or cause an explosion to the hospital. He stated he did not care," the affidavit says.Vrablic received a slight burn on his right hand while extinguishing the fire.