Jay Leno Recalls Horrific Accident: "My Face Caught On Fire"

A month after a horrific incident in his garage which caused severe burns, American television presenter Jay Leno has opened up about what really happened that day. The comedian said in an interview that he was injured while working on one of his vintage cars, a 1907 White Steam Car, according to People. Me Leno was injured after the 115-year-old car burst into flames in his Los Angeles garage. He was rescued by a friend and admitted to hospital. The 'Tonight Show' host underwent multiple surgeries - one of them a "grafting procedure" and was discharged in late November.

"It was a 1907 White Steam Car. 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," said Mr Leno, talking about the November 12 incident.

He recalled that the fuel line made some noise. "And suddenly, boom, I got a face full of gas. And then the pilot light jumped and my face caught on fire."

"It felt exactly like my face was on fire. Maybe like the most intense sunburn you've ever had, that'd be fair to say," said Mr Leno, in the interview that is set to air on Wednesday's Today.

The comedian said he remembered to shut his eyes and hold his breath while struggling to get out from underneath the vehicle. "I'm not a panicky guy, but I knew if I breathed in I could scorch my lungs. I was under the car maybe 10 seconds before Dave pulled me out. Any longer than that I could have lost my eye," he added.

Luckily, Leno said his friend Dave Killackey acted fast.

Mr Leno hosted 'The Tonight Show' from 1992-2009 when he was replaced by Conan O'Brien, a deal that had been in the works for five years, and the comedian moved to 10pm with 'The Jay Leno Show'. Both programmes suffered from lousy ratings, resulting in NBC's infamous decision to reinstate Mr Leno as 'The Tonight Show' host which he then continued till 2014.