The father of the man killed in an industrial fire in Wendouree on Tuesday has spoken of his grief.
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Returning to the site on Wednesday morning - the storage facility for the family-operated business - the victim's father said he was still struggling to come to terms what what had transpired.
He wished for both his and his son's identity to remain private.
Despite still waiting for the go ahead from City of Ballarat and building inspectors for permission to enter the building, the grief-stricken father surveyed the damage from the outside.
He said once he was able, he would see if there was anything he could salvage.
"But I would rather have my boy back," he told The Courier.
The inside of the building has been destroyed, along with thousands of dollars worth of construction equipment and multiple vehicles.
There is a burnt-out car outside the property, while the walls are visibly blackened and warped.
The father works in the construction industry and said the devastation of losing one of his sons, as well as the substantial property damage, would drive him into an early retirement.
He said he was told the fire was a result of an electrical fault.
Police have also confirmed to The Courier the fire was no longer being treated as suspicious.
The father suspected the building was too damaged to be repaired.
"Some of the beams look like bananas," he said.
Emergency services were at the scene for more than six hours on Tuesday and then had to return at 8pm when the fire restarted.
Access to all of Villiers Drive has been restored.
Firefighters earlier described how the building was full alight when crews first arrived.
"Fire Rescue Victoria made entry and found a person trapped inside the building and removed them, but unfortunately they passed away," Country Fire Authority incident controller Malcolm Hayes said on Tuesday.