TAMPA, Fla. — A lieutenant with Tampa Fire Rescue flew with his K-9 to the island of Maui to lend a helping hand in recovery efforts from the wildfires.
Lt. Brian Smithey and K-9 Probie got on a flight Wednesday and set off on their trip that would take more than 10 hours.
According to a Facebook post from the fire department, K-9 Probie, who's trained to detect human remains, hopes to bring comfort to families.
Probie will search through the charred environment to identify human remains that "might be injured beyond recognition." This helps authorities begin the process of matching them with names and letting family members know.
"Join us in wishing them both good luck on their mission," the agency wrote in the post.
As recovery efforts continue in Maui, people from all over the world are helping in ways they can – most through donations.
Accoridng to GoFundme, more than $30 million has been raised to support families, businesses and communicates impacted in Hawaii.
In Florida alone, more than $1.3 million has been raised for wildfire relief.
The number of deaths rose to 111 on Wednesday. The cause of the wildfires, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century, is under investigation. But Hawaii is increasingly at risk from disasters, with wildfire rising fastest, according to an Associated Press analysis of FEMA records.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.