POLICE INVESTIGATE XPZ FIRE AND THE ALLEGED ACTIONS OF ONE OF THEIR OWN

Even as police continue to investigate the cause of the blaze which razed the XPZ Supermarket Tuesday morning, they are also being called upon to respond to the firestorm swirling over the head of a fire officer accused of stealing while the fiery disaster was unfolding.

Highly-placed police sources say the officer took cash and a diamond ring which had been in a safe in the building while his colleagues were engaged in the cooling down operations.

There has been no official comment from the Force, but highly-placed sources tell ABS News the matter is the subject of a major internal probe.

Meanwhile, the cause of the fire is still unclear.

Firefighters continued to comb through the charred rubble on Wednesday as they continue their investigation. Efforts are also continuing to locate a Chinese national who worked in the supermarket.