In a tragic incident on Christmas Day, a father who lost his life in a narrowboat fire is being fondly remembered for his compassion and generosity, always eager to support and care for others.

Gabriel Murphy, aged 43, perished along with his service dog Hugo in a fire that broke out in the early hours along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal near Crooke Marina in Standish.

Juliette Murphy, Gabriel’s daughter, was awakened by her partner at 7:30 am on December 25 after emergency services reached out to her.

Though authorities couldn’t immediately confirm the victim’s identity, the 23-year-old instinctively sensed it was her father.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, she shared the heartrending detail: “Hugo was always by his side, and they found the dog curled up next to who they believed the person was at that time.”

Juliette endured a tense and emotional day, receiving numerous calls as she awaited confirmation.

The NHS health care assistant said: ‘I was meant to be proposing to my girlfriend that day, so that didn’t happen. We were just kind of waiting. I was sick a lot. I was crying a lot.

‘I was just really confused because it was quite hard, they’ve given me like half the information, obviously that’s their job.

Gabriel Murphy and his service dog Hugo who both perished in the Christmas Day fire 

The 43-year-old father served in the army’s REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) for seven years and during that time toured Iraq

‘I had to send them photos that I had of him, and they said that they couldn’t identify him because of the severity of the burns, which was really hard to hear. 

‘I had to help identify him through his tattoos as well, so that was all on Christmas.’

Gabriel Murphy served in the Army’s Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) for seven years and during that time toured Iraq.

He then switched to serve as a paramedic in North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) for eight years, which Juliette said gave him a sense of purpose.

She recalled: ‘He just wanted to help people…it helped him being able to physically help people and like immediately bettering people’s lives and being able to keep people safe.’

Juliette, who has started a GoFundMe to raise money to give her father the send-off he deserves, described him as a ‘rugged’ man with a ‘kind heart’. 

She said Gabriel was known for his bear hugs and for being a listener, while putting his own mental health issues to the side to assist others.

She explained how his service dog Hugo brought out the best in him: ‘He was literally my dad’s shadow so Hugo would go wherever my dad went.

‘My dad was a different person after Hugo. He really struggled with his PTSD, his anxiety, and depression.

‘Hugo just brought this new lease of life into him, he was able to do more things.

‘I have dogs myself and I’ve never seen anything like that relationship with a dog and a person, and it was a very, very special relationship.

Hugo was described as his shadow and never left his side

Gabriel has been described as a ‘rugged’ man with a ‘kind heart’ who was known for his bear hugs and for being a listener, while putting his own mental health issues to the side to assist others

Her trauma was intensified after a heartbreaking mistake saw Hugo cremated and his ashes discarded by a charity that had been asked to keep them safe. 

Juliette said this meant they now could not honour the bond between her father and his beloved dog. 

She continued: ‘The plan was to have Hugo and my dad cremated and kept together and spread… so obviously that can’t happen anymore, so it was just another really big blow, and it’s just been very, very hard because it just feels like nothing is going right.’

Juliette is currently awaiting the results of an inquest by the Greater Manchester Police and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service into the circumstances of the blaze. 

She said her father had recently re-enrolled in university and was taking an open course, along with counselling to get back on his feet.

She is now urging others to aid service personnel by donating to veteran charities and veteran causes in a bid to support those whose mental health has deteriorated after serving.

Juliette said: ‘Because of what they’ve been through and what they’ve done for our country, our families. I don’t think they really get what they need.’

Juliette Murphy with her father as a child – she told the Daily Mail one of her favourite childhood memories with her dad includes visiting a chocolate shop at Cheshire Oaks in Birkenhead

Gabriel spent a lot of time in Ireland and loved Guinness

Juliette is now set to get married at the end of the year and plans to include her father in the ceremony.

One of the last messages she sent to her father was of her wedding dress.

She said: ‘Obviously it’s really hard, because it’s someone that’s meant to be there, so that’s been quite difficult to kind of get my head around for this year.

‘I’d probably have something at my wedding just to like have a nice memorial for him. He loved Guinness, so I’ll probably make everyone drink Guinness or something.’

She also wants to visit Ireland since her dad spent a lot of time there and feels as though she will be able to connect back to him there.

Greater Manchester Police said the fire had been confirmed as non-suspicious and the case is now with the coroner to determine Gabriel’s cause of death.