Jay Leno Suffers Burns in Car Fire

Jay Leno is, of course, most well-known for being a former host of the Tonight Show and a comedian. But he’s also arguably one of America’s most famous car enthusiasts/collectors — and he even hosts a TV show on CNBC spotlighting his automotive passions.

He was apparently working on one of his cars when he was burned in a fire this weekend in Los Angeles.

“I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am ok. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet,” the 72-year-old Leno said in a statement to NBC News. He was reportedly hospitalized as of this afternoon.

According to reports, a flash fire burned Leno’s face as he wrenched on one of his cars, and he was taken to Grossman Burn Center in West Hills.

A source told NBC News that Leno was “physically OK” but had suffered “some damage”.

Leno canceled a scheduled performance in Las Vegas on Sunday, as well as any events he had scheduled for this week. I don’t know if that includes any Los Angeles Auto Show events — automakers often get celebs to take part in new-car launches during the show week. Leno may also have been attending events without fanfare — a few years ago I spotted Leno standing quietly from across the room during a Jaguar Land Rover event during LA show week. He apparently snuck out before the mob of media and JLR employees noticed his presence.

It’s a bummer that one of the ultimate car guys will be spending the media-day portion of the show recovering from his burns, but I’m glad it sounds like he’ll be fine.

[Image: Jay Leno’s Garage]

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