The death toll from the wildfires that swept through one of the Hawaiian Islands last week has risen to 100, with expectations of an increase in the number of fatalities, in a disaster that is considered the deadliest in the United States in over a century.

The police stated in a statement that they found the remains of one hundred and six victims. Authorities on Maui continue to count and identify the dead through DNA and dental records.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he would visit Hawaii with his wife Jill "as soon as possible" to oversee relief efforts and console the victims' families, but he expressed concern that his presence now might divert attention away from humanitarian efforts.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green noted that the rescue operations aided by trained search dogs have only scanned a quarter of the devastated area in Lahaina, which has been almost completely destroyed.

Before the disaster, the population of the afflicted town of Lahaina was 12,000, and the search for bodies there is a laborious process, especially after the fires destroyed over two thousand buildings and many homes.

Biden had declared the fires in Hawaii a "major disaster," allowing federal funds to be used for aid, but the handling of the disaster has sparked controversy, and an investigation into crisis management has been opened.

Despite warnings issued by authorities via radio and television, they failed to resonate with many residents due to power outages and lack of coverage. The absence of water in the hoses or reduced flow intensity also delayed firefighting teams in Lahaina from performing their duties.

A class-action lawsuit was filed on Saturday against Hawaii Electric, the largest electricity supplier in Hawaii; the lawsuit claims that the company's power lines contributed to the outbreak of the wildfires.

The lawsuit accuses the company of failing to disconnect downed and inactive lines, despite advance warnings from the National Weather Service, which indicated that Hawaii was on high alert for wildfires, especially with the intense winds accompanying a hurricane passing southwest of Maui that could cause power poles to topple.

Temporarily cutting power is considered a step to reduce fire risks and is a method used in Western U.S. states where wildfires are common. In California, power lines have been blamed for half of the most devastating wildfires there.