The destruction of the city and major loss of life after the fire in Lahaina Maui has been a terrible shock for the residents, and the country as a whole. Given the distance from the mainland U.S., and the lack of personal experience in Lahaina by many Americans, the extensive news coverage suggests a larger significance for this small city.
The tragedy of Lahaina began long before the fire that ravaged the town in the last week. The chain of volcanic island tips that comprise Hawaii was settled by Polynesian explorers by the year 1000, and first visited by Europeans in 1778, when Cook visited as part of his Pacific circumnavigation, naming the place the "Sandwich Islands" after the Earl of Sandwich, (apparently disregarding the fact that it was already settled). The Pacific whaling trade in the early to mid 1800s produced a major change in the islands. The ships sailed from New England, but 20% of the crews were native Polynesians(estimated). The discovery of kerosene as a lighting fuel in the 1840s saved many hundreds or thousands of whales and slowed the whaling industry. Hawaii was internationally recognized as an independent kingdom in 1810, but North Americans arrived to "bring Christ to the natives" and lay claim to the lands for agricultural uses by mid century. This process was slowed by the inaccessibility of the islands, and the limited areas available for agriculture, so not until 1893 did North American and European interests create a rebellion and to depose the leader. They appealed for annexation to the US, which was initially denied, but eventually accepted in 1898. (This process is similar to the annexation of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, but the land was taken from Polynesians, rather than Mexico.)
Hawaii is currently the 8th smallest, and 11th least populous state. But this is misleading. The effective size of Hawaii is mostly the three main islands, even smaller. And the population almost entirely in Oahu. At total population of 1.4 million, the state has the population of San Diego. The state agricultural office estimates that ag produces $2 billion per year, about 10% of the $20 billion in tourism. 1.6 million tourists visit the state annually, roughly 330,000 per month. This comes to about 1 tourist for every 3-5 residents every day, but a ratio closer to 1:1in the major tourist areas. These numbers indicate the peculiar place the islands have in American culture.
Hawaii has been a fantasy in the American imagination at least since after WW2, everyone's version of Bali Hai. Bali Hai is an imaginary place, and for most visitors, going to Hawaii is also a fantasy. Its role as a major naval and missile base, and an economic zone for Pacific development is ignored. A few visitors may go to the Pearl Harbor memorial, but the goal of the visit is the "Hawaiian Fantasy" which may involve surfing lessons, snorkeling a crater, hiking a tropical trail, seeing the active volcanoes, or watching a "hula" dance. (It even involves playing golf for some, as there are many courses at major resorts.) The demands and economic return of tourism far outweigh the other activities, and the native Polynesian population has been dwindling for years. The islands' population is 37% Asian, 25% white, 11% Hispanic, 10% Polynesian, and the rest mixed. It is not a Polynesian country except in some rural areas, and it is not Anglo despite having the union jack as part of the state flag (!).
Lahaina was once the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom, but Honolulu has long since overtaken it as the major city. We visited Lahaina over 10 years ago, and it was already dominated by a tourist strip of bars, dive shops, and fast food restaurants typical of tourism throughout the US but with Hawaiian themes. That has only increased in the interval, and been accompanied by resort condo development around the city, so that haoles (non-native Whites) can have their dream home here. Hawaii is an idyllic chain of Pacific islands with a unique culture that is honored in the fantasy, not the reality which is a resort and condo development location.
How do you plan for infrastructure in a fantasy world? How many firefighters do you need when the population is only a few hundred until it swells by thousands of tourists? Maui reports 164000 population but many many more tourists much of the time. A 2/1000 rate of firefighters this would require over three hundred, not including those to cover the additional demand of tourists. There might be a basis for even more since resources from other states or islands would not be easy to access in emergencies. Who is going to pay for this? Newscasters are quick to report the lack of services, alarm system response, or other deficits, but fail to realize that Maui is a fantasy resort island that main-landers come to to escape the worries of the world.
This issue is not unique to Hawaii or Maui. Everywhere that tourists go to enjoy the fantasy of being outside of their everyday lives has the same development issues and economics. Some of these places are close enough to other major urban areas tto "borrow" on the necessary additional services in emergencies. But even this is unpredictable, as the Paradise fire showed, in CA. The world can be a dangerous place. Tourism is not bad. Visiting new places allows a person to expand appreciation of others and the world. But economically, tourism does not address the basic needs of the local society, and does not pay for them at the rate that would be needed in emergencies.
Would people have died in Lahaina if there were less tourism? It seems likely that the conditions of the fire would have been destructive and lethal. But there would have been fewer places to burn, fewer people to die, and perhaps more avenues for escape and more planning of resources. Maybe or maybe not. We will never know.
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