Liz Noble, flanked by her husband, Ross, and daughter, Kate, said they had lost their "beautiful boy" in the early hours of Thursday morning when "he should have been safe sleeping in his own bed".

"We lost our beautiful boy yesterday.

"Chris has so many loving friends and family, a number of whom are overseas and flying back to Australia," Ms Noble told reporters in Sydney.

"We are gutted. We will remember Chris for his athletic ability, his work ethic, his watch collection and his loyalty and love of his family and friends," she said.

Ms Noble read from a prepared statement a little over an hour after police confirmed two more bodies - believed to be that of Bianka O'Brien and her 12-month-old son, Jude - were pulled from the crumbled remains of the building in Sydney's inner-west.

Police Detective Superintendent Murray Chapman said one body, an adult, was discovered at 10:30am on Friday. The body thought to be Jude's was found just after 1pm.

All three bodies, which were yet to be formally identified, had now been removed from the site and post mortem examinations would be conducted to determine the causes of death.

"This is still a dangerous site," Detective Superintendent Chapman said.

"We need to be methodical, slow and careful about the way we process the crime scene."

The entire site on Darling Street had been declared a crime scene and a strike force, dubbed "Baracchi", had been established to investigate the explosion and subsequent fire, led by the police arson squad.

"We're also appealing to anybody... who knows anything about this fire... to contact police, no matter how small the information is," he said.

At the height of the fatal blaze on Thursday morning, 50 fire fighters were working to bring it under control, Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Tom Cooper said.

"The explosion and subsequent fire led to a major building collapse at that premises," he said. 

Unsafe walls still standing at the site would need to be brought down before it could be declared safe, he said.

Mr Noble was a country boy who went to high school in the small town in Canowindra in the state's Central West.

Many residents have said the news has crushed the close-knit Noble family, who are well known and loved in the community,

Mr Noble's sister, Kate has paid a touching tribute to her brother.

"Forever together. You are everything," she wrote underneath a family photo that which was shared on Facebook on Friday morning.

The talented football player had just returned from an overseas holiday a week before the tragic explosion which claimed his life.

It is believed Ms O'Brien is the sister of James Keremelevski, who owns a mobile phone store next to a convenience store that was obliterated by the explosion on Darling Street. Her husband and Jude's father, John O'Brien, was not home at the time of the explosion at around 4am. He had left for work not long before it rocked the building and surrounding streets.

In the past few months, a doting Mrs O'Brien shared beautiful portraits of her son with her friends online.

She has also posted many loving pictures with her husband. 

Pakistani convenience store owner, Adeel Khan, remains in the intensive care unit at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after he was found trapped underneath a fridge and other rubble.

Investigators believe the explosion is suspicious, but have not commented on witness reports that a car was seen speeding away from the convenience store moments before the explosion tore through it.

It is understood council workers were collecting rubbish on Darling Street and saw the car do a hasty U-turn just before the blast.

Inspector Gary Coffey, of Leichhardt police, said fire investigators were yet to search the convenience store thoroughly to determine the cause of the fire. He would not comment on the report of the speeding car..

Patrick Begley writes that Darling Street was set to remain closed to cars for the rest of Friday, from the Beattie and Wise streets roundabout to Victoria Road.

Pedestrians could walk from Victoria Road as far as National Street, where the cafe Rosebud, had been doing a different kind of trade since Thursday morning.

Families and schoolchildren have largely stayed away. But tens of firefighters and police officers needed food and coffee. 

"One of the firemen came in and ordered 40 bacon and egg rolls," manager Vincent Ramunni said.

"We became a meeting place for other businesses that couldn't open. They did their paper work in here. We are all friends."

Legal clerk Hoda Hopping turned up to her Darling St solicitor's firm via a side street, unsure if the office would be allowed to open.

She left work about 9:45am yesterday, overcome by the smell of smoke.

"I said to my boss, 'I have to leave, I can't sit here'," Ms Hopping said.

Cain Sarah, a resident on an intersecting street, said  he could "instantly smell chemicals" when the blast woke him on Thursday morning. 

A day later, he and his wife Matilda were no longer concerned about chemical exposure now that the smell had subsided.

Their main concern was for the families of the victims. 

"It's an area that's very family focused," Mr Sarah said.

"There are kids all down this street".

Another resident referred to Rozelle as "Babyville".

Grandmother Wanda Foulstone said she struggled to sleep, thinking of Bianka O'Brien and her baby Jude, both still unaccounted for. 

But she was also concerned about the economic impact of the blast on the area.

"I really feel for the people that are missing out on their wages and incomes, and the business owners paying exorbitant tents," she said.

Ms Foulstone said the rumour mill among locals was going into overdrive with talk of meth labs and insurance jobs.

Three public bus routes and several school routes were redirected in Rozelle. A special bus service was running from the wharf to Wellington Street, near Victoria Road.

The Darling Street post office and  Rozelle Public School remained open, just beyond the exclusion zone. 

But no market stalls will open in the school's courtyard this weekend. 

"Due to the tragedy which occurred this week Rozelle Markets will be closed this Saturday and Sunday", a sign outside the primary school read.

Hundreds of scraps of coloured fabric, woven  through the school fence as a celebration of education week, took on a new significance.

"Each individual in our vibrant suburb adds a different pattern, texture and hue to the colourful Rozelle community," the artwork's sign read.

smh.com.au