WAILUKU >> Three victims of the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire have been identified, and their families will get the grim news today that their loved ones are official casualties as the death toll grew to 99 on Monday, and will likely continue to rise.

Gov. Josh Green said that discussions of a memorial to remember the tragedy are underway.

The search for more victims from America’s deadliest wildfire in more than a century continues to expand from 3% of the damaged or destroyed homes with a single cadaver-sniffing dog to 25% on Monday through a total of 20 dogs provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said he hopes the search will cover 85% to 90% of the area by this weekend in what FEMA calls “Phase Zero.”

Some of the remains have been discovered after dogs rechecked areas that were originally cleared.

Some victims were reduced to powder from the 1,000-degree heat and their remains can cling to the clothes of anyone who comes in contact.

“It’s not just ash on your clothing when you take it off,” Pelletier said. “It’s our loved ones.”

Green, along with county, military and nonprofit leaders provided updates on a wide-range of concerns before a crowded news conference at Maui County’s Kalana O Maui Building that continues to attract news crews from around the world.

Asked about claims that predatory buyers are trying to purchase destroyed or damaged property for cheap, Green said he has contacted state Attorney General Anne Lopez about the possibility of “a moratorium on any sales or properties that were damaged or destroyed. Moreover, I would caution people that it’s going to be a very long time before any growth or housing can be built. And so you will be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here.”

An Instagram video claiming to be from Kako‘o Haleakala features an unidentified woman calling out unspecified “investors and Realtors calling the families who lost their home, offering to buy their land. How dare you do that to our community right now? … Multiple families that I know personally were reached out and offered money from investors and Realtors. Shame on you. If you are a Maui Realtor contributing to that, karma’s going to come and get you.”

Hawaii actor Jason Momoa reposted the video and it took off.

The state Office of Consumer Protections then urged Maui homeowners Monday night to report unsolicited offers to buy their properties by contacting the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and report the name, place of business, telephone number and address of any person by calling 808-587-4272.

State law protects owners of distressed residential properties.

“Any reported instances of misconduct will be investigated, and if confirmed, wrongdoers will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Mana Moriarty, executive director of the Office of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

Esther Brown, complaints and enforcement officer for the Regulated Industries Complaints Office, said in a statement, “We are disheartened to hear that survivors of this catastrophe are being approached by unscrupulous persons whose only goal is to prey upon them. If someone approaches you with a deal or offer, and you did not reach out to them first, please hang up the phone or walk away. Chances are high that unsolicited deals are not a legitimate operation or part of the federal, state, county and private partnership working to assist those affected.”

The fire already has spurred new thinking over how to rebuild Lahaina and develop other parts of the state.

Normal rules have been suspended since a series of emergency proclamations went into effect after the fire.

“We’ll also invest state resources to preserve and protect this land for our people, not for any development, for our people locally,” Green said. “I’ll also tell you that this is going to impact how we view, because of tragedy, how we view all of the development in our state. And much of what we do is challenged by other laws, federal and otherwise, that don’t let us restrict who can buy in our state. But we can do it deliberately during a crisis, and that’s what we’re doing. So for my part, I will try to allow no one from outside our state to buy any land until we get through this crisis and decide what Lahaina should be in the future.”

The FBI separately warned homeowners Monday to be cautious of “easy-cash settlements.”

The FBI also cautioned evacuees about attempts to steal personal information by scam artists posing as government officials representing agencies like FEMA.

Scrutinize government IDs carefully, the FBI said, and look up any phone numbers directly to double check any concerns before releasing private information.

Government disaster entities never solicit financial details through calls or texts and there are no charges to apply for aid, the FBI said.

“Regrettably, natural disasters create a fertile ground for opportunistic criminals to exploit those grappling with losses or driven by the desire to assist others — sometimes both,” Steven Merrill, special agent in charge at FBI Honolulu, said in a statement. “Criminals capitalize on distraction and vulnerability.”

Asked about concerns that Maui firefighters did not have adequate water pressure to fight the fire, Green said that differing forces on Maui — like other communities — constantly fight over the best uses of water on an island with chronic drought issues.

A reporter suggested that the public has received mixed messages about tourism on Maui and Mayor Richard Bissen said he has been consistent in discouraging visitors to West Maui but are welcomed in other areas, calling tourism a “major driver” for the Valley Isle.

The latest data show that 2,200 structures have been damaged or destroyed, 80% of them residences.

“Our hearts are broken even more,” Green said.

He encouraged fire evacuees to contact FEMA for a long list of services all covered by the federal and state governments and Hawaii Community Foundation, which continues to raise funds for Maui.

Landlords also will be compensated for making available 1,400 Airbnb rentals starting today, 402 hotels rooms and “160 citizens” who opened their homes to multiple families.

At the same time, 60 people who had been living in a single home in Lahaina originally listed as not found have been reunited with their loved ones.

One person was arrested for allegedly trespassing into cordoned-off Lahaina, and Pelletier said that people trying to get a peek are slowing the search for fatalities while trampling on powdered iwi.

Asked about social media posts about looting inside Lahaina, Pelletier said he checked and there have been no reports.

The Maui Humane Society has cleared its 300-space kennel by fostering animals while capturing 52 animals after the fire — eight of which have since been fostered and 12 that are being treated for injuries.

The Humane Society estimates that as many as 3,000 pets are missing, and it has received 367 reports of lost animals, some of which may be dead.

It has set up feeding and water stations to capture animals that might be living on the edges of Lahaina.

Kelly Maguire, the Humane Society’s director of veterinary services, asked people who come upon dead animals not to move them so officials can check for microchips and give the owners closure.

A new placard vehicle system to let law enforcement know the driver has been identified as a Lahaina resident — or has a legitimate reason to be there — was quickly rescinded Monday morning.

Instead, entry to Lahaina once again will rely on individual ID checks because everyone who showed up for a placard Monday morning did not come from Lahaina and merely wanted to sightsee, Pelletier said.

“We tried to make it work,” he said. Instead, “we got a whole bunch of people who just wanted to get out there.”