As the death toll in Hawaii wildfire rises to 99, Maui police chief John Pelletier was heavily criticized for the delay in identifying the victims. Only two of the deceased have been identified as of yet.

In a press conference on Monday, Pelletier assured people that authorities will begin releasing the names of the dead whose families have been notified starting Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the death toll is expected to rise to three figures as only around 25% of the fire zone had been searched, Pelletier said. He added that he hopes 85% to 90% will have been covered by the weekend. “We started with one dog. We are at 20,” Pelletier said. “We can only move as fast as we can, but we got the right amount of workers and teams doing it.”

Also Read | Trump blames Maui governor Josh Green and Joe Biden for poorly handling Maui wildfire in statement

About 1,000 people still remain missing.

Who is John Pelletier?

John Pelletier is born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He has had over two decades of experience in law enforcement.

Pelletier took charge of the Maui Police Department for just a little more than 600 days. Back in January, Pelletier revealed he’s learned a lot, not just about policing in Hawaii, but of the people in Hawaii.

He also mentioned how serving in the Aloha State is different. “I’ve learned that coconut wireless is real. I had no idea that it existed,” Pelletier said. “We have incredible people who day in and day out, do work that really is some of the best public safety work in the nation, if not the world.”

Also Read | Does Oprah own land in Hawaii? Conspiracy theorists hold billionaire responsible for Maui fires

During Sunday’s press conference, he became emotional when he told reporters the fire had melted metal. As a result, he said identifying remains had become extremely hard.

He said: “When we find these… you know, our family and our friends, the remains we’re finding is through a fire that melted metal. We have to do rapid DNA to identify them. We got to do it quick, and we got to do it right.”

He continued: “So when we pick up the remains, and they fall apart… And so you have 200 people running through the scene yesterday, that’s what you’re stepping on. I don’t know how much more you want me to describe it. Give us a little bit of time to contain that. None of us really know the size of it yet.”

.