Two motorists were seriously hurt Wednesday when one car rear-ended another on the H-1 freeway.

The crash happened at about 7:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes near the Waipahu offramp.

The rear-ended vehicle overturned, injuring the 48-year-old driver. Emergency Medical Services said he sustained a neck injury and was taken to a hospital in serious condition.

Paramedics also transported the driver of the other vehicle, a 27-year-old woman, to a hospital in serious condition.

Cause of blaze at Palolo home undetermined

Honolulu Fire Department investigators were unable to determine the cause of a fire that leveled a Palolo house Tuesday morning. Damage was estimated at $240,000 to the structure and $50,000 to its contents.

Because the house contained a large amount of ammunition and about a dozen propane tanks and some butane tanks, firefighters kept at a distance and made water drops from a helicopter to bring the 10:42 a.m. blaze under control. About 2,500 feet of fire hose had to be linked to get to the home at 3040 Lai Road to extinguish the fire.

Fire Capt. David Jenkins said the 78-year-old homeowner said the fire started when he left the microwave oven on and went outside. Fire investigators could not corroborate whether that caused the fire because of the significant damage. “Besides the propane tanks and ammunition, an excessive amount of material stored in the home contributed to the severity of the fire,” Jenkins said.