Due to the limited amount of DNA samples collected thus far, authorities in Hawaii begged for relatives of those missing following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century to come forward and supply them, warning that this could impede efforts to identify any remains found in the ashes.

The FBI has a rough, unconfirmed list of 1,000 to 1,100 names of people who are still missing after wildfires ravaged the ancient beachfront hamlet of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. But according to Julie French, who is assisting in the leadership of efforts to identify remains by DNA analysis, the family assistance center has thus far acquired DNA from only 104 families.

Although it wasn't immediately obvious why, Maui Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin, who is in charge of the center, claimed that the number of family members coming in to submit DNA samples is "a lot lower" than in other significant disasters around the nation.

Martin and French made an effort to reassure the public that any samples would only be used to assist in identifying fire victims and would not be added to any databases used by law enforcement or utilized for any other reason. They promised that no one would be questioned about their citizenship or immigration status.

Officials in Hawaii have expressed worry that publishing a list of the missing will also reveal the identities of those who have passed away. The State Joint Information Center described it in an email sent out on Tuesday as "a standard held by all law enforcement and first responders here in Hawaii, out of compassion and courtesy for the families, to withhold the names until the families can be contacted."

According to Maui police, there have been 115 confirmed deaths. All single-story residential properties in the disaster area had been checked, and teams were now examining multi-story residential and commercial properties, according to a late Monday report from Maui County officials.

Police chief John Pelletier stated on Tuesday that his team is having difficulty compiling a comprehensive list of the missing. People submitted incomplete names in some situations, and names may have been repeated in others. "No secrecy, no hiding things," he stressed.

"We need a verified list. We know that there is a margin of error with the 1,100 names right now because some of them only have first names and no contact information," he explained. "As a result, we're trying to scrub this to make it as accurate as possible."

If they have missing relatives, Pelletier advised them to contribute DNA and make a police report with as much information as possible.

(With input from AP)

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