Town officials ordered a Northern Virginia woman who had been photographing the digging of a tunnel beneath her property for her 500,000+ TikTok followers to stop.
On social media, she is known as “Kala the Science Girl” and “Tunnel Girl,” and she has been broadcasting videos of her endeavor to create a storm shelter off the side of her home’s basement since October. According to WUSA, some videos have received millions of views, with admirers following her progress on a tunnel that would eventually connect the bunker to the rest of the house.
It was in her most recent video that she discussed receiving a citation to halt her effort.
“They did issue me a stop work order and are requiring an immediate evaluation by a professional engineer,” she wrote on TikTok. “Fortunately, contrary to rumors here, it is constructed entirely below the slab of my house, and it shouldn’t be too hard to get the permits and approval.”
A town spokesperson, who has not been identified, verified to WUSA9 that they were notified of a probable Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) violation and traveled to the property to conduct a site inspection.
“On Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, representatives from the building officials’ and zoning administrator’s offices conducted a site inspection, as is standard protocol following such notifications.” The municipality is collaborating with the property owner to address any issues and ensure that the property is safe and code-compliant.”
WUSA was able to locate “Tunnel Girl” on Tuesday night, but she declined to comment on the incident.
One of the neighbors raised worry.
“It’s a first,” a man only identified as David told WUSA9. “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.”