The horrific wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, have claimed 93 lives, making them the deadliest in US contemporary history. Authorities have warned that the effort to find and identify the deceased is still in its early stages as crews with cadaver dogs have only covered 3% of the search area. The island fires are now the country's worst in terms of casualties in more than a century. "It will certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced," Governor Josh Green said on Saturday as he toured the devastation in Lahaina. The newly released death toll passed that of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California, which left 85 dead and destroyed the town of Paradise. At least two other fires — in south Maui’s Kihei area and in the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry — have been burning on the island, with no fatalities reported so far. Many fire survivors said they did not hear any sirens or receive a warning, only realising they were in danger when they saw flames or heard explosions. Officials sent alerts but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.