A TikToker digging a tunnel below her home in Virginia has been ordered by local authorities to immediately stop the project.
In a video posted on the social media platform last week, the influencer, who gives her name as Kala in her profile but is often referred to as “Tunnel Girl”, said Herndon town officials issued her a stop work order on the project and are requiring an immediate evaluation by a professional engineer.
The TikToker has been documenting the progression of her underground tunnel system since October 2022. She said she began the construction job by cutting an opening off the side of her sub-basement and started to carve into the solid rock.
From there, she constructed an elevator to lift 1,000 pounds of material at a time. She then used hundreds of concrete blocks to set the 22ft structure in place.
The influencer, who has half a million followers, said she isn’t concerned about the new city orders. “It shouldn’t be too hard to get the permits and approval,” she said in the video.
According to WUSA9, she aims to build a storm shelter off the side of her basement. The outlet reportedly spoke to one of the woman’s neighbours who lives across the street from her.
The unnamed man said he’s seen her a couple of times and that he’s concerned about the lack of precautions the woman appears to be taking and considered whether it risks his and his neighbours’ lives.
He continued: "It’s concerning during the day that there’s a lot of noise being made but nothing that would truly bother us to call the authorities in any way.”
When contacted by the outlet for comment, town authorities said they, “Received notice that activity in potential violation of the Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) was occurring at a residential property within the town’s corporate limits.
“As is standard protocol following such notifications, representatives from the building official’s and zoning administrator’s offices conducted a site inspection on Thursday, December 7, 2023.
“The town is working with the property owner to correct any violations and ensure that the property is safe and in compliance with the code.”
