He hid 20,000 euros in chimney, almost passed out when his wife lit a fire

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An Italian man saw his savings go up in smoke when his wife lit a fire underneath the chimney where he had stashed 20,000 euros (Rs 18 lakh) in government bonds.

According to Metro News, the unidentified Italian man was concerned about robbers breaking into his apartment in Rome. To keep his fiscal documents safe, he decided to hide them in the chimney. Unfortunately, the man forgot to tell his wife about his hiding place.

On Christmas, his wife lit a log fire underneath the chimney to warm up their house

“‘When I saw the flames I nearly passed out,” the man told Il Messaggero newspaper.

“I thought it would be a safe place where thieves would never think of looking. My wife didn’t know I’d hidden them there,” he explained. “The fireplace was rarely used and the bonds had been hidden there for some time.

“Each year, before we use the fire during the winter, I used to move them. This time I didn’t manage to do it in time,” the man added.

Things, however, are not completely hopeless for this man. The report said he might be able to recover some of his losses if he can find the original serial numbers on the documents. The man’s brother, who works at the post office, told him that it might be possible to reissue the bonds if he can find their serial numbers.