Jay Leno Opens Up About How His Face Caught On Fire

In a new interview, Jay Leno is opening up about the gasoline accident that left him with severe burns on his face and chest. The 72-year-old said that he was working on an antique 1907 car with his friend Dave Killackey. Jay has a love of antique cars, detailed in his show Jay Leno’s Garage.

He explained, “The fuel line was clogged so I was underneath it. It sounded clogged and I said, ‘Blow some air through the line,’ and so he did. And suddenly, boom, I got a face full of gas. And then the pilot light jumped and my face caught on fire.”

Jay Leno shares more about his scary accident and severe burns

THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, Jay Leno, 1992-2014. ph: Wendy Perl /© NBC /Courtesy Everett Collection

He told his friend and at first, he didn’t see the severity of the accident. So he added, “I said, ‘No, Dave, I’m on fire.’ And then, ‘Oh, my God.’ Dave, my friend, pulled me out and jumped on top of me and kind of smothered the fire.” Jay was taken to the hospital and later to the Grossman Burn Center, where he spent several weeks in surgery and recovery.

RELATED: Jay Leno Speaks Out After Suffering From Serious Burns From An Accident

GILBERT, Jay Leno, 2017. ©Gravitas Ventures/courtesy Everett Collection

At first, Jay downplayed the seriousness of his injuries but Dr. Peter Grossman gave a press conference that shared more about Jay’s recovery. Jay suffered from second-degree and some third-degree burns but is expected to make a full recovery.

LIVE ANOTHER DAY, Jay Leno, 2016, © Dalton Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

Several weeks later, Jay is already out and about, doing interviews and back on the comedy club circuit. He certainly isn’t letting the accident slow him down, nor does he say he will stop working on his cars.