Police say a fire which ripped through a Buddhist temple in Melbourne's south-east is not being treated as suspicious.
The Bright Moon Buddhist Temple in Springvale was razed by a fire which started at about 8pm on Sunday night.
It burned into the morning, with more than 80 firefighters sent to battle the blaze.
On Monday afternoon, a Victoria Police spokesperson said the cause of the fire was still being determined.
However, it was not being treated as suspicious, the spokesperson said.
Worshippers and community members spent the day grappling with the loss of the temple.
President of the Bright Moon Buddhist Society, Vinh Ly, said he was unable to sleep as the temple burned.
"Why, why why?" he said on Monday.
About 5 per cent of ashes damaged, fire official says
The ashes of almost 600 people were held inside the building, which served as a community hub for many in the area.
They were stored in the south side of the temple, which appeared to be the least damaged.
Fire Rescue Victoria Assistant Chief Fire Officer Paul Foster said the status of the ashes was a priority once the building was accessible.
"And the good news is, we were able to get in there and take photos and bring them back to the team from the temple," he told ABC Radio Melbourne on Monday evening.
"And we estimate only 5 per cent of the ashes have suffered damage, the rest are all untouched."
He said it was "a really big win" and a plan would be put in place for people to safely enter the area and remove the ashes in line with cultural protocols.
"The local community are very, very happy with that news," he said.
The assistant fire chief said there were "a couple of theories" as to the cause of the fire, but a final determination was yet to be made.
"Most of all we hear from the community members is about securing their loved ones' ashes that are stored here, which is very important culturally," said local MP Meng Heang Tak.
But the MP for Clarinda said the community would rebuild.
"To see it like this is very sad, but I know that our community is very resilient," he said.
The temple was built with the help of community donations.
Locals told the ABC on Monday they were confident the strong community would band together to build it again.
