Maui wildfires expose rift over island’s tourism: ‘We’re more vulnerable than anyone admits’

The industry generates 80% of Maui county's economic activity - but it risks devastating the island's natural resources

The fire that leveled the Hawaii town of Lahaina didn't discriminate. It seared through vacation rentals and historic landmarks alike, scorched a 150-year-old banyan tree and touristic Tiki bars, reducing nearly everything to gray rubble.

And the destruction has laid bare seething tensions about the dominance of tourism on the island.