Hawaii officials seek families help in identifying remains of wildfire victims

Officials in Hawaii implored residents to submit DNA samples to help in the identification of human remains found in the ashes of a fast-moving wildfire on the island of Maui that killed at least 115 people earlier this month.
At the same time, investigators acknowledged that it’s possible not all of the remains of victims from the August 8th fire on Maui will ever be found.
Maui County prosecuting attorney Andrew Martin, tasked with heading up the family assistance center, said that he’s spoken with experts who have handled DNA sampling in mass-casualty disasters elsewhere, and that he’s seeing less willingness in Hawaii.
Martin said he could not explain why people seemed less willing to provide DNA samples – so far 104 had been collected. But he hoped his reassurances that the DNA provided would only be used for the purpose of identifying remains, and would not be transferred to any law enforcement database or agency, would help more family members come forward.