Virginia residents and social media users are reacting after city officials ordered a woman who had been digging a massive tunnel under her home for more than a year to stop the viral project.
“Kala,” the alleged name of the owner and creator of the TikTok account @engineer.everything, garnered 7.7 million views after documenting the underground construction process.
On October 23, 2022, Kala shared with her 537,000 followers that she was taking on “a complex new project” and “planning to build a storm shelter” on the side of her basement, according to a TikTok video posted at the time. .
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Using hundreds of concrete blocks and hand-mixed concrete, he began building a 30-foot entrance to his tunnel, he revealed in the video.
The main chamber is 22 feet underground and is primarily composed of rebar lattices and a steel form for pouring the concrete, as noted by Kala, who does not reveal her last name online, on TikTok.
A Virginia woman, “Kala,” has gone viral on TikTok for documenting the year-long construction process of an underground tunnel beneath her home. (Courtesy: Ingeniero.todo/ Tiktok)
Those following the viral trip online (some claiming to be nearby residents) commented on their concerns about the safety and legality of the project while construction was still underway.
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“It’s a little crazy. It’s funny, I’m not going to lie. But I definitely have some concerns with whatever she’s doing and the area around us is dirt and everything. Just making sure she’s not damaging the properties around us.” said one. ” wrote a woman, who apparently lives in the Kala area, in one of several Reddit threads dedicated to the viral project.
“My main question is, how far does it go? Is it still on your property, or is it tunneling under your neighbors’ property, or is it affecting drainage or anything in the area?” wrote one user.
“I really just want to know how he funds this,” another person commented.
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In her most recent video, Kala shared that her construction project has been closed.
“They gave me a stop-work order and require an immediate evaluation by a professional engineer,” he said in the video.
“Fortunately, contrary to rumors here, it is built entirely under the slab of my house, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to get permits and approval.”
The main chamber is 22 feet underground and is made of hundreds of concrete blocks and hand-mixed concrete. (Courtesy: Ingeniero.todo/TikTok)
The City of Herndon contacted “Tunnel Girl” after receiving a notice of possible violation.
“The City of Herndon received notice that activity in possible violation of the Uniform State Building Code (USBC) was occurring on a residential property within the city’s corporate boundary,” a Herndon representative told Fox News Digital in an email.
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“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 city is working with the owner to correct any violations and ensure the property is safe and up to code,” the city spokesperson added.
More people on social media, who also claim to be residents of the neighborhood, have shared their opinions on Reddit about the recent closure of the Kala Tunnel project.
A woman’s tunneling project was shut down after the city received a violation notice. The property will now require a site inspection. (Courtesy: Ingeniero.todo/TikTok)
“While it looks absolutely unsafe, it looks a lot better than I expected based on what I first heard,” one user wrote.
“Will you have to go to town meetings to get approval? That little town hall room will be full!” another person commented.
“I had no idea she was close to me,” one user wrote.
This same person added: “The lady has been digging under the house, like very far below; she has a whole mining operation set up.”
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A neighbor spoke to FOX 5 DC and said he noticed construction had been underway for several months.
“Yeah [I] “I remember correctly, maybe last summer I started hearing like… not rock explosions… but just loud noises and some guy was, like, digging up dirt,” he said.
The owner is supposedly waiting for a permit to be processed so she can continue construction of her underground tunnel. The city of Herndon told Fox News Digital that “representatives from the building official’s and zoning administrator’s offices conducted a site inspection on Thursday, December 7, 2023.” (Courtesy: Ingeniero.todo/TikTok)
FOX 5 DC reported it had received a tip about the location of the home.
Reporters spoke in person with a local woman who confirmed that Kala lived in the nearby house, but that Kala was not home at the time.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Kala through TikTok.
FOX 5 DC also reached out to Kala, but she declined to comment further until the permitting process is complete, the station reported.
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