When Matt Dutkiewicz was hospitalised after fighting the deadly 2003 Canberra bushfires at Uriarra Crossing, he thought his brother had died trying to save the family home in Duffy.
Leading a makeshift crew of firefighters when the blazes reached Canberra, Mr Dutkiewicz was stuck battling the fires on the far western edge of the city while his brother Jamie was left to save the family home alone.
