Article originally appeared on www.breitbart.com.
The human toll in the cataclysmic wildfire that destroyed a Hawaiian town reached 106 on Tuesday as President Joe Biden said he will travel to the devastated area “soon” while offering “thoughts and prayers” alongside assistance for survivors.
State governor Josh Green has repeatedly warned the running count from last week’s inferno in the historic township of Lahaina — already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century — would grow significantly, urging Hawaiians to brace for a final death toll that could be two or three times its present level, as Breitbart News reported.
Maui County officials updated the death toll to 106 with Green saying earlier over a quarter of the disaster zone had been searched by dogs trained to sniff for bodies.
Questions are already being asked about authorities’ preparedness and response to the catastrophe.
“It’s going to be a very, very difficult mission,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deputy assistant secretary Jonathan Greene said. “And patience will be incredibly important because of the number of victims.”
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