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14th Dec 2022

“My face caught on fire” – Jay Leno opens up about recent garage blaze

Stephen Porzio

“Suddenly, boom, I got a faceful of gas.”

Jay Leno has opened up about the fire last month that left the comedian with serious burns.

The blaze occurred on 12 November in the garage of his Los Angeles home after one of his vehicles burst into flames.

Speaking to NBC’s today about the incident, Leno recalled:

“It was a 1907 White Steam car. The fuel line was clogged so I was underneath it trying to unclog it.”

“I said: ‘Blow some air through the line,’ and then suddenly, boom, I got a faceful of gas.

“Then the pilot light jumped and my face caught on fire.”

Thankfully, however, Leno’s friend Dave Killackey was with the comedian at the time and came to his aid.

“I said to my friend: ‘Dave, I’m on fire,’ and oh my God, my friend Dave pulled me out and jumped on top of me and kind of smothered the fire.”

Leno was subsequently taken to the Grossman Burn Center in California to be treated for the severe burns he sustained to his face, chest and hands.

The comedian underwent skin grafting surgeries before being released from the facility on 21 November.

Returning to stand-up since then, Leno joked about the incident, telling reporters: “Never thought of myself as a roast comic.”

He also said: “We got two shows tonight. Regular and extra crispy.”

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