The number of people known to have died in the horrific wildfire that leveled a Hawaiian town topped 100 Tuesday, the state's governor said.

"101 lives have now been lost," Josh Green said, raising by two a toll that has crept up slowly over the last few days.

Over a quarter of the disaster zone has been searched, Green said, with dogs trained to look for bodies combing the ashes of what was once Lahaina, a picturesque tourist spot on Maui.

Green has repeatedly warned that the final count from the tragedy will be significantly higher, urging Hawaiians to gird for a number that could be two or three times its present level.

The toll has already made last week's wildfire the deadliest in the United States for over a century.