CANBERRA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- One person has died and many houses have been destroyed in bushfires in South Australia (SA).

About 200 fires broke out across the state in catastrophic conditions on Friday as temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius.

Authorities on Friday night confirmed that one person died in a car crash related to the fires and that seven police officers and firefighters were being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

Police said that the person, who has not yet been identified, died when their car hit a tree near one of the fires.

Steven Marshall, the Premier of SA, described the death as a "tragedy."

"We've known this was going to be a tough day for our state for quite some time," he told reporters.

The Country Fire Service (CFS) had warned of catastrophic bushfire conditions in six regions in SA on account of record-breaking heat and strong winds.

Mark Jones, the chief officer of the CFS, said on Friday night that more than 1,200 firefighters -- the vast majority of them volunteers -- were deployed to combat the blazes.

"Crews have been working for a long time already, so exhaustion will become an issue. When nature throws its worst, the firefighters, volunteers and emergency responders of this state do their best."

As of Saturday morning, only one emergency warning remained in place for a fire on Kangaroo Island which was sparked by lighting when a cool change swept through the state in the late afternoon.