Up to 15 homes have been destroyed by bushfires near Melbourne but cooler conditions on Monday aided crews battling them to get the upper hand, officials said. A number of blazes ignited over the weekend, whipped up by strong winds and searing heat, and they quickly ran out of control. One of the fires at Scotsburn, 90 kilometres (55 miles) west of Melbourne, surprised crews with its speed and ferocity with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporting Monday it razed 12 homes. Another blaze at Barnawartha, also in Victoria state, burnt through about 9,000 hectares (22,200 acres), destroying three properties. The Country Fire Authority said the Scotsburn blaze was now under control while those centred around Barnawartha would likely be contained by the end of the day. “What we’ve got is fairly stable weather patterns for the rest of the week,” CFA official James Todd said.