The tragic toll from the wildfires in Hawaii, the deadliest in more than a century in the US, reached at least 99 dead on Monday and “may double” within the week, state authorities warned yesterday, who have been criticized for the way with which they faced unimaginable destruction.

“Over the next ten days, that number could double,” said Josh Green, the state’s governor, announcing on CNN that three more bodies had been found, bringing the death toll to 99 so far.

As specially trained dogs are still searching the ruins of the city of Lahaina, which was almost wiped off the map, there is still a lot of ground to be covered.

Most of the victims identified so far were near the sea or ocean, the governor said.

Dozens of people ran into the sea to escape the fiery nightmare.

Referring to the “tragedy”, Mr Green attributed it, at least in part, to “climate change”.

In Lahaina, population 12,000, once the capital of the kingdom of Hawaii, the fire was so hot it melted metals.

The police appealed to the relatives of the missing to submit to a DNA test in order to facilitate the identification of the bodies.

Authorities count 1,300 people missing at this stage, according to Governor Green. The number is decreasing as communications are gradually restored on the island of Maui and residents are able to speak with their own.

The causes and circumstances of the fires, which spread like lightning, remain unclear. What is certain is that they occupied the inhabitants of Hexapine.

The indignation of many citizens is aggravated by the fact that the authorities do not allow access to Lahaina and around it: they have erected barricades.