A National Guard troop assists in search and recovery efforts in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Andrew Jackson/U.S. Army)

National Guard and active-duty troops are providing security and searching for remains at Lahaina, the historic town in Hawaii nearly destroyed by wildfire a week ago, according to Hawaii Guard Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan.

Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, is expected to visit the affected area on Tuesday with Hawaii’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, Logan said.

“Gen. Flynn’s visit is to see firsthand the damage and what may be needed that he can leverage as support,” Jeff Hickman, spokesman for the Hawaii Department of Defense, said by email Tuesday.

The death toll from the wildfire that gutted the town Aug. 8 reached 99 on Monday, state Gov. Josh Green told reporters at a news conference Monday on Maui. That toll is expected to climb as further remains are recovered, Hawaii authorities said.

“The search goes on,” Green said.

Flynn’s command coordinates all federal defense support to civil authorities across the Pacific in the event of a disaster, U.S. Army Pacific spokesman Jonathan Riley said by email Tuesday.

Logan, commander of Joint Task Force 50, at the same press conference said 254 people from the U.S. Army, and Air and Army National Guard are on duty at Lahaina. Logan has “dual status” authority over active and Guard troops in the zone.

“Many of them are involved in the security operations in support of the chief of police,” Logan said. “Most of that is at a shelter center or the impact zone of Lahaina to help the recovery through this phase.”

Another 47 troops are “fatality search-and-recovery experts,” doing “hard, emotional-type work,” Logan said.

They are working with Maui first responders and with dog teams from the FBI and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hickman said.

Honolulu Fire Department vehicles and personnel are secured onto a C-17 Globemaster III Aug. 10, 2023, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. A Hawaii Air National Guard aircrew from the 204th Airlift Squadron transported a team comprised of firefighters, rescue specialists and incident management personnel, and disaster-relief cargo to aid communities impacted by several wildfires. (John Linzmeier/U.S. Air Force)

Staff Sgt. Trevor Connors, 154th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, loads firefighters' gear and supplies onto a C-17 Globemaster III, Aug. 10, 2023, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. National Guard and active-duty troops are providing security and searching for remains at Lahaina, the historic town in Hawaii nearly destroyed by wildfire a week ago, according to Hawaii Guard Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan. (John Linzmeier/U.S. Air Force)

Federal agencies brought 90 personnel and 20 cadaver dogs to search the burned-over zone, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen told reporters.

Hickman said 42 guard members are patrolling outside the impact zone with the Maui Police Department. Another 62 guard members are working with Maui police on traffic control.

One hundred guard members will help run the Hawaii National Guard joint task force on Maui, Hickman said. Twenty-five troops are already assigned to command-and-control duties, he said.

The additional force will augment the command-and-control element and “assist Maui County as they plan and begin recovery efforts,” Hickman said.

Logan said he expects two more groups of security personnel over the coming two days.

The Hawaii National Guard provided two CH-47 Chinooks for two days to assist Maui with fire suppression and also transported about 40 Honolulu Fire Department personnel to the fire scene, Hickman said.

The troops flown in for security will help enforce entry restrictions in the devastated town, where 2,200 structures, mostly residential, were lost, Green said.

“The scale of destruction is incredible,” he said.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said the need for sensitivity during the search means open access to the area will come slowly.

“It’s not just ash on your clothing when you take it off, it’s our loved ones,” Pelletier told reporters. “That’s the reverence. That’s why we can’t have you walking down there.”