Hawaii Wildfire Death Toll Nears 100

The worst US wildfire in more than a century has claimed lives in Hawaii, and the death toll was projected to surpass 100 on Sunday, sparking claims that inactivity by the authorities led to the significant loss of life.

Officials have confirmed 93 fatalities, but they have issued a warning that the number may increase as recovery teams working with cadaver dogs continue their gruesome chore of combing burned-out homes and cars in Lahaina.

Early on Wednesday morning, a swiftly spreading fire nearly totally destroyed the ancient coastal village on the Hawaiian island of Maui. According to survivors, no warnings were given.Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono said that she would wait until the findings of an inquiry announced by the state's attorney general when questioned on Sunday about why none of the island's sirens had been triggered.

Democrat Hirono declared, "I'm not going to make any excuses for this catastrophe.

"As far as I'm concerned, our main concerns are the need for rescue and, sadly, the discovery of additional bodies."

Official estimates indicate that more than 2,200 structures were damaged or destroyed when the fire tore through Lahaina, causing $5.5 billion in damage and displacing thousands of people.

According to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier, the remains that are being found are the result of a fire that melted metal. "They fall apart when we pick up the remains."

That was making identification difficult, he added, appealing for those with missing relatives to give DNA samples that might speed the process.

Pelletier said cadaver dogs still had a vast area to search in the hunt for what could still be hundreds of people unaccounted for.

"We're going as fast as we can. But just so you know, three percent -- that's what's been searched with the dogs," he said.