Virginia's 'tunnel girl' ordered to stop underground home project documented on TikTok

FAIRFAX, Va. (WJLA) — Nicknamed "tunnel girl" by over 537,000 TikTok followers, a Herndon, Virginia woman has gone viral for reportedly digging a tunnel under her home -- and now town officials are investigating.

According to her Dec. 28 TikTok video, Kala said she was issued a stop-work order requiring her to halt the project that she has been documenting on her social media for over two years.

"So they did give me a stop work order and are requiring an immediate evaluation by a professional engineer. Fortunately, contrary to a few 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. So we'll be working on that," Kala said in her video.

The Town of Herndon told WJLA that they received a notification of the project occurring at a "residential property within the town’s corporate limits" and that they are "working with the property owner to correct any violations."

See their full statement below:

"The Town of Herndon 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."

In over 75 TikTok videos, Kala began documenting herself building a "tunnel system" in October 2022.