Fatal fire at Melbourne retirement village

A body has been found in a burnt-out unit of a Melbourne retirement village.

Police rushed to the Springvale complex, at the rear of a police station in Melbourne's south-east, just after midnight on Thursday to discover the unit engulfed in flames.

Several elderly women residents were evacuated from neighbouring units but a woman in her 80s remains unaccounted for, police said.

An arson chemist is expected to examine the scene.

Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the blaze.