LOS ANGELES – American comedian and television host Jay Leno, known for his expansive collection of cars, sustained burns in a petrol fire, but was expecting to recover, he said on Monday.
“I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire,” he said in a statement. “I am okay. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.”
The 72-year-old was taken to Grossman Burn Centre after one of the cars in his Los Angeles garage burst into flames. The left side of his face was burnt, but his eye and ear were not severely damaged.
The Fire Department in Burbank, California, responded to a request for comment about Leno by saying that it had responded to an emergency call at an address near the Hollywood Burbank Airport just before 12.30pm on Saturday.
Emergency medical workers “assessed and treated one adult male patient” who was taken to a hospital, the department said in a statement.
According to a 2011 story in The New York Times, Leno kept his car collection in a garage in Burbank.
Every car there was maintained with a full tank of fuel, current registration and valid insurance, so he could choose any one of them for a drive. Some of the cars were almost never driven.
Best known as a long-time host of The Tonight Show (1954 to present), he is now the host of a show called Jay Leno’s Garage (2015 to present), which recently featured United States President Joe Biden discussing the future of electric vehicles.
Leno is also the host of a syndicated reboot of classic comedy game show You Bet Your Life (2021 to present), which first ran in 1947.
A veteran of the stand-up circuit, he succeeded Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show in 1992 and left the programme in 2014, resuming a schedule of speaking engagements and comedy shows across the US.
Leno had been scheduled to speak on Sunday night at the Financial Brand Forum, a financial conference in Las Vegas, but was unable to attend, People magazine reported, citing an e-mail to attendees of the event.
“His family was not able to provide us very many details, but there was a very serious medical emergency that is preventing Jay from travelling,” the e-mail said. “All we know is that he is alive, so our prayers go out to him and his family tonight.” NYTIMES, REUTERS
