By now, you’ve likely heard of Tik Tok’s “Tunnel Girl,“ who for more than a year has chronicled, on social media, her tunnel-digging project underneath her home — here’s additional information about who “Tunnel Girl” is, and where she’s from.
TikTok’s “Tunnel Girl,” known only as Kala, provides updates on her dig via @engineer.everything on TikTok, and she also maintains a YouTube channel, @engineerkala. In early January 2024, USA Today reported that city officials where Kala lived were notified about her excavation project, which she describes as a “storm shelter” underneath her property, and shut it down. In most municipalities in the U.S., digging tunnels is illegal without proper permitting.
In a TikTok post, Kala said:
“Fortunately, contrary to fuel 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. We’ll be working on that.”
via USA Today
Kala began excavating underneath her house in October 2022 and consistently updated her fans on her progress through social media. As of this report, Kala’s TikTok channel had about half a million followers.
“Tunnel Girl” lives in Herndon, Virginia
According to The New York Times, “Tunnel Girl” Kala lives in Herndon, Virginia. Otherwise, not much else is known about her, and she has widely turned down many media outlets’ requests for comment. In a statement, a Herndon spokesperson said:
“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.”
via USA Today
According to DCist, Kala has said that’s not her legal name, and that she’s not trained in structural engineering. According to Kala, her day job is in software engineering. Kala also said she is not digging the tunnel complex to prepare for catastrophe, but to keep herself occupied and entertained.
In one TikTok post, Kala said, referring to the electrical system she’s installed to light the work:
“Before this project, I had very little experience with electrical and had to learn a lot of new stuff. In fact, I used to consider it magic which it kinda is.”
via DCist
Kala’s not alone in her passion for digging
So-called “hobby tunneling,” or excavating tunnel systems, is not an uncommon pastime. In 2017, a fire broke out in a tunnel system underneath a Bethesda, Maryland home, not far from where Kala lives, killing one man, according to the Washingtonian. In 2019, the man who owned the home was sentenced to nine years in prison related to the incident, but he was released in 2022 after his sentence was reduced.