The 3,500 Boulder County mountain residents who have been evacuated because of the Fourmile Fire should call their insurance companies right away -- even if they don't know whether their houses are still standing.

In general, people who have been forced out of their homes by a mandatory evacuation order have coverage for "additional living expenses" under their regular homeowners' insurance, which should provide them with money to cover things such as hotel rooms and groceries, according to Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.

"Unfortunately, no one thinks that the unthinkable can happen, but as we've seen, it can happen even on Labor Day weekend. It's just heartbreaking to see this," Walker said. "The good news is that a standard homeowner's insurance policy does cover damage to your structure and your personal belongings in the fire. And a lot of people don't realize that they have a certain amount of coverage for out-of-pocket expenses."

Walker said typical policies cover personal belongings up to a cap of between 50 percent and 70 percent of the value of the home.

Boulder County officials said at least 63 structures have been destroyed by the fire, and residents have not yet been contacted if their homes were among the ones that burned.

But longtime Sunshine Canyon resident Steve Spencer said he's confident his house is gone.

"I've had multiple phone calls about it," he said. "Somebody watched it burn to the ground."

Spencer said Monday morning that he planned to call his insurance company later in the day just to find out what the protocol is. Ultimately -- if the house he built really is gone -- he plans to rebuild in the same area.

"I fully intend to," said Spencer, who was building a deck on his house when he first saw the smoke. "But it will have a metal roof and concrete walls."

While it's too late for those who have already been evacuated, Mele Telitz, a Colorado-based spokeswoman for Allstate Insurance, is recommending that people who are in danger of future evacuations consider now what they will take if they have to leave.

"It's very important that you collect your important papers and documents," she said. "And it's really important to think carefully about what's easily replaceable, and what items are not, like family heirlooms."

Telitz also said that people should document what's in their homes with a video or still camera.

For those who may have lost their homes in the Fourmile Fire and who didn't document what was inside, insurance adjusters will still work with them as best they can, Walker said.

"They'll try to recreate what they had," Walker said. "People have a lot more documentation than they think they have -- things like family pictures and credit card receipts."

And even if evacuated homeowners haven't taken pictures of their houses and belongings before the fire, they should take some pictures as soon as they're able to return to their property, according to Tamara Pachl, a spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance.

Pachl was manning a booth at the emergency shelter that was set up most of the day in the Coors Event Center on the University of Colorado campus. She said folks had been trickling in throughout the day.

"We're telling people to contact their State Farm agent," she said, "even if they don't know what's going on -- and to save their receipts."

Tom Bethke, who was heading into the temporary shelter in search of lunch Tuesday, said he hasn't contacted an insurance agent yet because he isn't the person who owns the property.

"I live with my aunt and uncle, and right now, they're in the Caribbean. I've tried to get a hold of them, but I can't," said Bethke, who was evacuated from Lee Hill Road. "So I don't have the insurance. I don't know what that means for me."

Contact Camera Staff Writer Laura Snider at 303-473-1327 or sniderl@dailycamera.com.