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ADELAIDE - More South Australian firefighters will head to Kangaroo Island today, where bushfires have already claimed one life.
The Country Fire Service (CFS) also warned that lightning may ignite further fires elsewhere in the state today.
CFS chief officer Euan Ferguson said there were more than 100 incidents across the state yesterday amid extreme weather conditions.
"These are weather conditions that we only see two or three times a year, very similar to the weather conditions we experienced during the devastating Wongaree fire (in 2005)," Mr Ferguson told the Nine Network.
The main concerns centred on Kangaroo Island, where lightning started 12 fires yesterday.
Mr Ferguson said four of the fires had been contained and two had joined up, leaving seven still burning.
"We've got significant resources which were sent over to the island overnight and more resources going over today."
A man's body was found in a bushfire-ravaged area of Kangaroo Island yesterday.
Mr Ferguson warned that smoke from the fires may spread as far as Adelaide.
"If people in the Adelaide area see smoke they shouldn't necessarily be alarmed as we've got a major fire operation developing on Kangaroo Island," he said.
He said the 14 fire units on Kangaroo Island were "really stretched".
The CFS yesterday sent two water bombing aircraft to a bushfire in the Western River Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island, south of Adelaide.
Mr Ferguson said strong winds and heavy smoke prevented the aircraft from flying for periods yesterday.
About 150 hectares had been burnt, but the fire was not threatening homes or properties, the CFS said yesterday.
Mr Ferguson said fire authorities were preparing for more fires in the state today.
"There's severe lightning activity occurring in the Mallee area of South Australia, so we're expecting that during the day today we'll get further lightning caused fires in other parts of the state.
"So we're really gearing up for maximum preparedness for more fires."
Yesterday, crews were also deployed to tackle two fires on the Yorke Peninsula, west of Adelaide, with one at Warooka burning about 300 hectares and another at Edithburgh destroying 200 hectares of bush.
- AAP
