MADISON, Wis. -- Very strong winds and thunderstorms moved through southern Wisconsin in the early morning hours Thursday, knocking down trees and power lines.

The National Weather Service reports wind gusts of more than 80 mph in Dane County and 60 mph in Columbia, Iowa counties and elsewhere.

VIDEO: Watch The Report | SLIDESHOW: See Storm Damage

At the height of the storm, about 15,000 Dane County residents were left without power. Both Madison Gas and Electric and Alliant Energy crews started working at about 3 a.m. to restore power.

The damaging winds knocked a hole in the Bartell Community Theater in downtown Madison. The bricks on the back of the East Mifflin Street theater came crashing down into an alley. The bricks are part of the old Esquire Theater's façade.

In Dane County there were no reports of storm related injuries, but a 6-year-old girl was killed in Grant County.

She and her family were camping at Nelson Dewey State Park in Cassville when a tree fell on their tent.

Cleanup is under way on Thursday night for many homeowners hit by the storms.

Belinda Jordan woke to find the power out and her roof damaged. A tree landed over the Jordan's bedroom and they had a snapped power line.

"I am really surprised and this just gives us a little taste of what the Stoughton people went through. So this is nothing compared to them," Jordan said.

Madison Gas and Electric crews have been out all day. About 1,500 people are still without power, WISC-TV reported.

The company is calling in 15 more crews from Green Bay and Milwaukee. Resorting power has been slow going because each problem is only getting one or two customers back online, WISC-TV reported.

A company spokesman said the storm was unique because the damage wasn't just in one area but instead spread out all over.

Crews will continue to work until midnight, but some customers won't get their power back until Friday.

City Parks Department Will Clean Up Some Damage In Madison

As city efforts began Thursday morning to clean up the mess left in business and residential streets, Madison's Parks Department is drawing the line between private and public storm cleanup.

The city's top priority is to clean up anything that endangers the public. The next priority is hanging branches over streets and sidewalks, WISC-TV reported.

But any fallen trees on private property are the responsibility of the homeowner.

"We will open the sidewalk and we will open the street, but we might leave everything else for you to do. Our goal is public safety; get those streets open and the sidewalks open. And if it's your tree and it's fallen out into the street, we might only take our half off of it," said Jim Morgan, superintendent of parks.

That includes trees fallen on homes and cars. Morgan said residents can stack brush in front of their homes and the city will provide pick-up.

For now, the city is prioritizing its calls and moving through one section of the city at a time.

For the latest weather information, visit Channel 3000's Weather section.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.