A "fast-moving" landspout that formed southeast of the Denver metro area damaged at least seven businesses Monday afternoon. No one has been reported injured, but photos from the area show significant damage to at least some of those businesses' roofs.

The Franktown Fire Department said around 3 p.m. that the landspout formed near the intersection of Highways 83 and 86.

Both the fire department and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office characterized the landspout as "fast-moving," and the sheriff's office is asking people to avoid the area while crews work to assess the damage, help clean up, and keep people in the area safe. Authorities said three buildings, which included seven businesses, as well as several vehicles, were damaged in the storm.

The National Weather Service in Boulder issued an alert about the weather around 2:40 p.m., saying hail was also possible. That alert was extended to the towns of Bennett and Strasburg soon after.

A landspout is similar to a tornado, but forms from the ground up, instead of from the sky down to the ground.

Franktown is about 35 miles southeast of Denver.