Michael Karel had only enjoyed four weeks in his new home on NSW's north coast before it was destroyed in a dramatic explosion.
A two-level apartment block on Owen Street in Ballina was engulfed by flames on Friday night, forcing residents to make a dramatic escape.
But Mr Karel didn't make it out and his body was found at the back of his ground level unit.
Mr Karel had only moved into the apartment four weeks ago.
His girlfriend was in Sydney when she heard the devastating news.
Fire investigators spent all day on Saturday assessing the explosion site while friends and locals left flowers outside.
It is understood a LPG gas cylinder was found in the front bedroom of Mr Karel's unit.
Julian Treanor, who lived in an upstairs unit, said the explosion shook his home.
"Bottles were falling out of the kitchen into the ground," he told Network Seven.
"All the neighbours jumped out of the property and ran across the road."
Residents will stay with friends and family until structural engineers decide on the fate of the five-unit building.
NSW Fire and Rescue Inspector Phil Sheedy said it was still open whether the structure would be brought down.
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