The cause of a burst water main that forced hundreds of residents to evacuate from a Melbourne CBD apartment block is still unknown.
Emergency crews attended the Liberty Tower complex, at the corner of Spencer and Collins streets, about 7pm on Sunday after water flooded the basement.
The flooding affected a basement substation, killing power supply to the 27-storey, 237-apartment building entirely, including the lifts.
An emergency evacuation order issued around 11pm forced hundreds of people to leave the building.
A Melbourne City Council spokeswoman said the emergency order was issued because power is out for the entire building.
"There is no power, heating or water for flushing toilets," she told AAP.
"Without power, the fire systems don't work."
The cause of the burst water main remains unknown, but is not believed to be related to construction issues.
It will take up to 72 hours before the complex is declared safe to occupy, given the extent of damage, the council spokeswoman said on Monday.
An Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokeswoman said fire crews stayed at the incident for a number of hours as a precaution while Victoria Police and the council evacuated residents.
"The flooding in the basement affected the substation, which meant not only the power was off, but so was the fire system," she told AAP.
"So we were there as a precaution."
Some residents were allowed to return briefly to the building overnight to collect vital possessions.
A relief centre has been set up at Melbourne Town Hall to support residents while the emergency order remains in place.
The building surveyor is on-site and working with the owners' corporation, police and other authorities.
Calls to the building manager have not been returned.
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