Helping Calaveras County and Chinese Camp Rebuild After Wildfires
Miyamoto Fire Recovery is a consortium of architectural, engineering, construction, and public adjuster firms dedicated to rebuilding fire-damaged homes in Calaveras County, Chinese Camp, and surrounding areas. We are committed to helping communities recover on time, under budget, and with the highest quality, innovative fire-prevention engineering.
Fire Recovery & Rebuilding Experts for Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties
Miyamoto International brings decades of disaster reconstruction experience to manage your entire rebuilding process. We understand the hardships homeowners face after losing their homes to devastating wildfires like the recent TCU September Lightning Complex fires. Our mission is to make this difficult journey as smooth as possible for the residents of Calaveras County, Chinese Camp, Vallecito, Copperopolis, and other affected communities.
Our Coalition
For your complete fire recovery, our coalition of engineers, architects, contractors, and insurance experts becomes your dedicated team. We act as your sole project manager to streamline the process, from initial damage assessment to final construction, ensuring your restoration is fully funded by your insurance claim.
Comprehensive Design-Build Solutions
Our mission is to make the world a safer, better place. In response to the recent Calaveras County fires and the destruction in historic Chinese Camp, we guide affected homeowners through the entire rebuilding process as their single point of contact and lead expert. Our consortium approach ensures a seamless process, delivering a complete, turnkey solution.
Integrated Design & Engineering
Our consortium of professionals provides coordinated architectural design, structural engineering, and geotechnical analysis from the outset, incorporating proven resilient building practices. We handle all necessary assessments – including foundation integrity, fire damage, seismic safety, and soil conditions – as part of the integrated design process to inform the safest and most cost-effective plan.
Homeowners
Expert Project Management + Quality Construction
We manage the entire process, coordinating the architect, engineers, and contractors. This includes streamlined permitting by working closely with local authorities to keep your project on track. We partner with experienced contractors to ensure high-quality construction that adheres to the strictest standards for economy and resilience.
Proven Fire Resistive Engineering
Drawing directly on our deep understanding from assessing hundreds of burned properties and laboratory testing, we know what works for fire resistance. Our methods include:
- Achieving a two-hour fire rating for exterior walls through proper structure and finish
- Protecting all penetrations (windows, ventilation, exterior outlets) to create a robust fireproof envelope
- Utilizing Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) where appropriate, for their inherent fire resistance and durability benefits
Expert Insurance Navigation
We guide you through the complexities of your insurance policy to help maximize your benefits throughout the recovery process, integrating this with project phasing and costs.
Your team
Miyamoto provides comprehensive post-fire investigation and recovery services throughout Calaveras County and the surrounding regions affected by the recent wildfires. Our experts are ready to help you navigate this difficult time with professional guidance and support at every step.
Structural Engineer and Reconstruction Expert, CEO
Dr. H. Kit Miyamoto, Global CEO of Miyamoto International, is a world-renowned structural engineer and disaster resilience expert. As California’s Seismic Safety Commission Chair and President of Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief, he leads reconstruction efforts following major disasters worldwide. Living in Topanga, his connection to LA’s recovery is both professional and deeply personal. Recently awarded Engineering News-Record’s 2024 Award of Excellence, Dr. Miyamoto brings unique insights from decades of international post-disaster recovery experience to help guide LA’s reconstruction efforts.
Senior Principal
Sabine Kast is a Senior Principal at Miyamoto International, where she leads global disaster preparedness and reconstruction programs. As the Executive Director of Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief, she focuses on protecting vulnerable communities, particularly schools and children, in disaster-affected regions. With extensive expertise in disaster risk management and recovery, she has successfully led multi-disciplinary teams and projects across the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific. Sabine is also pursuing PhD research at the University of Tokyo, specializing in disaster resilience and risk management.
Managing Principal | SRK Architects Inc.
Brian A. Kite is the Managing Principal of SRK Architects Inc., a multidisciplinary architectural firm based in Southern California. He brings extensive experience in leading large-scale and complex architectural projects, with a focus on providing direct, principal-level involvement for every client. His expertise encompasses a wide range of project types, including new construction and complex renovations of significant local and historic structures. As a key partner in Los Angeles’s rebuilding efforts, Brian’s leadership ensures that projects are designed with a focus on collaboration, innovation, and resilience, helping communities and clients build back stronger and safer.
CEO & Founder | Dolphin Ten Development
John Rudd is the Founder of Dolphin Ten Development, a premier general contracting and construction management firm dedicated to helping Los Angeles residents rebuild after a disaster. With over 25 years of hands-on experience, he has managed complex residential and commercial projects for top-tier firms like C.W. Driver and The Olson Company. John’s background in overseeing large-scale builds provides the robust systems and expertise needed to navigate the unique challenges of fire reconstruction. He leads Dolphin Ten’s strategic partnership with Miyamoto International, combining world-class engineering with expert construction management to rebuild safer, stronger homes for communities in need.
CEO & Founder | WorldClaim
Andrew J. Fusco is the CEO and Founder of WorldClaim, a global leader in public adjusting and disaster recovery. With over 40 years of experience, he has secured multi-million-dollar settlements for commercial, residential, and government clients worldwide. Having led catastrophe recovery efforts in over 70 natural disasters, Andrew is a recognized expert in complex claims, risk management, and business interruption negotiations. Licensed across 45 U.S. states and internationally, he holds multiple professional designations, including SPPA, SCLA, CPIU, and AIC, and is an active member of leading insurance organizations.
Principal | Structural Engineer
Philip Yu is a Principal at Miyamoto International’s Los Angeles office, leading structural and seismic engineering for resilient design in post-disaster recovery miyamotointernational.com. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and is a licensed Structural Engineer in California, leveraging advanced seismic analysis and performance-based design techniques to strengthen buildings miyamotointernational.com. Philip has led high-profile projects such as the eight-story Ford high-rise dealership in downtown Los Angeles, applying performance-based engineering to complex urban structures miyamotointernational.com. As part of Miyamoto’s Fire Recovery & Rebuilding Experts consortium, he conducts foundation and framing evaluations to help homeowners maximize insurance claims and rebuild safer, fire-resilient homes
Principal and Office Manager
.Elliot Lee, P.E., manages Miyamoto’s Pleasanton office, a regional hub that unites structural with MEP capabilities (through the former ATI Engineers integration) to deliver coordinated, beyond-code solutions across Northern California. Elliot’s team supports post-disaster response and residential reconstruction with fast-track structural evaluations, scope-of-loss documentation for insurers, and cost-efficient, resilient designs that shorten schedules. Drawing on Pleasanton’s multi-disciplinary bench, he aligns architects, engineers, and contractors to navigate permitting and build back better for homeowners affected by the LA fires—prioritizing life-safety, durability, and budget control.
Technical Director | Miyamoto New Zealand
Amir Moshref, PhD, leads structural engineering at Miyamoto New Zealand, where he specializes in complex seismic assessment and strengthening of high-rise and essential facilities. His team’s work includes the multi-firm retrofit of 13–27 Manners Street, a 14-story tower in Wellington that is being upgraded with 90 energy-dissipation dampers to deliver performance beyond current code standards. In LA’s fire-recovery context, Amir advises on foundation and framing evaluations, heat-affected concrete/steel checks, and resilient retrofit strategies that speed permitting and keep rebuilds on budget. He brings an academic and research background in collapse assessment and reinforced-concrete behavior to practical, insurance-aligned reconstruction plans that help families rebuild stronger and safer.
Contact Our Recovery Team​
Save lives, impact economies.
- +1 833.270.8848
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Aon Center, 707 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90017