Noble family mourns 'beautiful boy'

"We lost our beautiful boy yesterday. He should have been safe, sleeping in his own bed. We are gutted."

These heart-wrenching comments by Chris Noble's grief-stricken mother Liz came less than 24 hours after her son's body was recovered from the rubble of a burnt-out building in Sydney's inner west.

"We will remember Chris for his athletic ability, his work ethic, his watch collection and his loyalty and love for his family and friends," she said on Friday afternoon.

Following a deadly blast and fire that ripped through a convenience store in Rozelle, Mr Noble's body was retrieved late on Thursday night and taken to Glebe morgue for formal identification.

The 27-year-old, who grew up in Canowindra in central-western NSW, had returned from a trip to South America only a week ago.

Several of Mr Noble's "loving friends and family" were overseas and heading back to Australia, Mrs Noble said during a brief statement to reporters.

"We feel for all of them and our local community," she said, holding back tears.

"We also feel for the other families affected by this tragedy."

Mr Noble was remembered for his sporting prowess, and former coach Barry Traves remembered his efforts in the U/14 Canowindra rugby league team's grand final win.

They were down by 12 points in the opening minutes when Chris stepped up and the team comfortably won the day.

"Thanks to some dynamic running from Chris, and some other strong players, the other team didn't score another point after 12 minutes into the game," Mr Traves said.

"He would listen to advice and was easy to coach. He took initiative."

Bob Scott, who taught Chris at Canowindra High, said the family was "very highly thought of in the town".