The catastrophic Maui wildfires have become the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii’s history, with the death toll climbing to 80 late Friday — as cadaver dogs sniffed through smoldering piles of rubble Saturday in search of more dead bodies.

The grim tally of the disaster — which started as a brush fire Tuesday night and rapidly spread — is likely to rise significantly as search and rescue operations continue, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green warned.

To aid in the frantic efforts, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. announced that dogs trained to find bodies were brought in later Friday to scour the destruction.

A sobering assessment released Saturday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Pacific Disaster Center revealed that a total of 2,207 buildings and other structures have been damaged or destroyed as of Friday, while 2,170 acres have been burned.

It will cost an eye-watering $5.52 billion to rebuild, the agencies estimated.

“Nobody has entered any of these structures that have burned down and that’s where we unfortunately anticipate that the death toll will rise significantly,” US Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii also told MSNBC Saturday.

The raging infernos have already now become the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii’s history, surpassing that of a tsunami that killed 61 people on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1960, a year after Hawaii joined the United States.

The intense blazes have turned the beach paradise into a “war zone,” Mayor Bissen solemnly declared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Friday. 

“The closest thing I can compare it to is perhaps a war zone where maybe a bomb went off,” he said.

Haunting photos show smoldering rubble, burning homes, leafless skeletons of charred trees, and the scorched carcasses of cars.

In the hard-hit town of Lahaina, resident Annelise Cochran told the Washington Post Saturday that “it was the closest I’ve felt to death.”

Cochran and her neighbor survived the deadly fire that ripped through Lahaina — the largest tourist destination on Maui — by spending more than five hours in the water clinging to a rock wall.

What we know about the Maui wildfires

At least 114 people have died in the Maui wildfires that started last Tuesday.

The wildfires, fanned by strong winds, burned multiple buildings, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities.

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The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora was partly to blame for the strong winds that knocked out power as night came. About 13,000 residents in Maui were without power, according to reports.

People rushed into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames fanned by Hurricane Dora.

Fire crews battled multiple fires in the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland mountainous region. Firefighters struggled to reach some areas that were cut off by downed trees and power lines.

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The fires have all but wiped out the historic town of 13,000 people.

Roughly 100 desperate Lahaina residents clashed with police Friday after authorities reopened — then quickly closed — the main road back to the town for the first time since the wildfires tore through the region. Officers described the confrontation as a “near-riot.” 

Follow the latest NYP coverage of the deadly Maui wildfires

Footage on social media showed long lines of cars heading into the fire-ravaged Lahaina after the road was opened at noon for the first time since Tuesday. 

Police were screening motorists to ensure only Lahaina residents with identification, or visitors who could prove they were hotel guests in West Maui, could be let in.

But by 5 p.m., authorities shut down the road in both directions, leaving motorists furious. Some drivers parked on the highway and defiantly barged into areas locked down due to hazardous conditions.

“Those caught within this zone will be escorted out and may be arrested,” Maui County officials said in a statement.

The Maui Police Department did not immediately respond to messages from The Post, including whether there were any arrests or injuries.

Actor Jason Momoa — who was born in Honolulu — issued a stern warning to fans this week, urging them not to travel to Maui.

“Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now,” the “Aquaman” star wrote on Instagram, alongside a video montage of the devastation.

“DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI.”

Meanwhile, the state’s emergency response is facing scrutiny after officials confirmed Friday that warning sirens throughout Maui failed to activate as the wildfires ripped through the island and people had to run for their lives.

Alerts were then sent to mobile phones, television, and radio stations, however, widespread power and cellular outages limited their reach.

Gov. Green said it wasn’t clear why the sirens weren’t activated, but that the fire destroyed much of the equipment.

One Maui resident, who lives about 10 miles north of Lahaina, told CNN he “didn’t even know there was a fire” until a friend alerted him Thursday.

Attorney General Anne Lopez announced plans to conduct a comprehensive review of decision-making and policies affecting the bungled response.

With Post wires