The elite Incline Village on the shores of Lake Tahoe, located just a few minutes from the California-Nevada border, has received an unusual measure of protection from wildfires. Here they began to use remote-controlled machines that clear the forest and destroy dry vegetation that can cause fires, the New York Post reports.

The project is named “The Worm” because of the long and skinny shape of the 176.5-acre treatment zone, which is gradually cleared of potentially dangerous vegetation.

Incline Village is considered one of the most prestigious places in the life of wealthy residents of the US. Thanks in part to Nevada’s lack of individual income tax, the bougie nabe just minutes from California’s border has emerged as a magnate for deep-pocketed transplants, attracting the likes of Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Google co-founder Sergey Brin to Lake Tahoe.

But now, one of the main threats to the local elite has become not taxes, but wildfires.

“The Worm” project is being implemented by the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District and local authorities in conjunction with the forest service. To clear the area, high-tech remote-controlled machines from the company BurnBot were involved—special masticators that can chew away the overgrown brush threatening nearby neighborhoods.

The equipment grinds dangerous vegetation down from up to 132 feet deep into public land alongside private yards, removing dry vegetation that can quickly turn a small fire into a large-scale disaster.

The name “Worm” is associated not only with the unusual design of the project. The development zone really resembles a long, winding strip that runs around the residential areas of Incline Village. Thus, the authorities create a kind of fire-fighting buffer between the houses and the surrounding forest.

The project is especially relevant amid the difficult fire situation in the region. In recent days, the nearby Reno area has been ravaged by major wildfires for the past 10 days, with the Bug and Stallion fires scorching more than 120,000 acres and forcing thousands of residents from their homes.

At the same time, the task of the “Worm” is not necessarily to completely stop the fire. The main goal is to deprive the fire of some of the fuel and reduce its intensity. As a result, the flame may become less powerful, and it will be easier for firefighters to contain it.

Crews finished clearing 62.6 acres in July 2025, and are already dozens of acres deep into phase two, with plans to wrap up the full 176.5-acre perimeter by the middle of September.

According to BurnBot representatives, the remote-controlled equipment enables operators to better control the process and at the same time reduces the impact on the environment.

Thus, the new protective barrier being created in one of the most expensive enclaves in the US has a rather unusual appearance: instead of a traditional wall, a long cleared layer is formed here, and instead of an army of firefighters, robots are sent into the forest first.