The governor of Hawaii said it's hard to tell how many people are still unaccounted for following his state's wildfires, because many people's phones were incinerated after being left behind during the evacuation.
As the official death toll rose to 99, Gov. Josh Green (D-HI) said the number could double in the coming days, because it has proved so difficult to get in touch with people.
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“A lot of people had to run and left all they had behind. They don’t have their phones — the phones are incinerated,” Green told CNN.
Authorities are expected to start releasing the names of those killed in the fire on Tuesday, and they are asking those who are missing family members to supply DNA samples to health officials to help with the identifying process. Only three of the 99 victims were identifiable through fingerprints.
The majority of the 99 people who have been confirmed dead were found out in the open, in cars, or in the water in the Lahaina area in western Maui, Green said. The wildfires, which began last week, are considered the deadliest in the United States during the past century.
The wildfires have devastated multiple towns and forests on the Hawaiian Islands, including the historical town of Lahaina, whch has seen an estimated 2,207 structures destroyed or damaged. The majority of the buildings impacted were residential, according to damage assessments. Maui County is reporting that 85% of the Lahaina fire is contained as of late Monday night. Additional fires in upcountry and Kula are 60% contained.
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The island community has united to provide housing for people who have been displaced by the fires by providing 400 hotel rooms and 1,400 Airbnb units, according to Green. At least 160 people are also offering to share their houses, resulting in the placement of 220 families.
The death toll comes as only a quarter of the fire zone had been searched for victims as of Monday, but Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said he hopes 85%-90% of the fire zone will be searched by the weekend.