The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said Monday, as emergency personnel scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains.

But Governor Josh Green said more fatalities are certain, as emergency responders with cadaver dogs work their way through hundreds of homes and burned-out vehicles.

10 to 20 more victims could be found per day

"The updated number of 99 confirmed people has passed," he told CNN on Monday, adding that "it will go up very significantly. Over the course of the next 10 days, this number could double."

Green said rescue workers were finding between 10 and 20 dead bodies each day, with only a small portion of Lahaina near the waterfront searched so far.

The number of people still missing is down to around 1,300, although delays restoring cell phone communications have made it difficult for residents who fled to reconnect.

The town, which served as the Hawaiian kingdom's capital in the early 19th century, was home to around 12,000 residents, as well as a bustling tourist street packed with shops and restaurants.

The intensity of the fire and scale of the destruction have made identification of human remains difficult, with some corpses disintegrating as they are uncovered by searchers.

Maui's fires follow other extreme weather events in North America this summer, with record-breaking wildfires still burning across Canada and a major heat wave baking the U.S. southwest. Europe and parts of Asia have also endured soaring temperatures, with major fires and floods wreaking havoc.

Scientists say human-caused global warming is exacerbating natural hazards, making them both more likely and more deadly.

Authorities' preparedness and response to the catastrophe questioned

The wildfire is the deadliest in the United States since 1918, when 453 people died in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association.

Questions are being asked about authorities' preparedness and response to the catastrophe.

Some fire hydrants ran dry in the early stages of the wildfire as a result of the "intense operations and water usage" by firefighters, deputy U.S. fire administrator Tonya Hoover said.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian Electric, the state's biggest power firm, claiming the company "inexcusably kept their power lines energized during forecasted high fire danger conditions."

Hawaiian Electric said in a statement that the company does not comment on pending litigation, and noted that the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Whatever sparked the terrifying inferno, a collision of circumstances – including a churning hurricane off the coast – meant that it spread very quickly.

Maui suffered numerous power outages during the crisis, preventing many residents from receiving emergency alerts on their cell phones.

No sirens sounded, and many people in Lahaina learned about the blaze from neighbors running down the street or seeing it for themselves.

"The miscommunication is abysmal – people are very angry and frustrated, and this is getting worse," said local resident named Stephen Van Bueren.

(With input from AFP)