Jay Leno Undergoes Skin Graft Surgery for 'Significant' Burns After Car Fire: Report

Photo: Mike Windle (Getty Images)

Earlier this week, comedian and car guy icon Jay Leno was badly burned after a gas leak from a car he was working on ignited in his Burbank garage. Leno was then taken to a burn ward in Los Angeles for burns to the left side of his face, hands and chest. The latest news on the former Late Night host and his injuries, is he just underwent surgery and will require a second procedure in the coming days, says the New York Times.

The medical director at Grossman Burn Centers, Dr. Peter Grossman, said Leno sustained “deep second-degree burns, with possibly third-degree burns.” According to him, the deepest burns were on the 72-year-old’s face. Despite this, he’s expected to make a full recovery after his skin graft surgery. Although it will take a bit longer than the one to two weeks Leno initially said it would take him to get back on his feet.

Rolling Stone reports the surgery not only involved a skin graft, but also meant that unhealthy tissue had to be cleaned and removed before the graft could be put in place. Eventually, that graft will be removed and Leno’s injuries will be reevaluated.

“Our hope is that when everything is all said and done he will do well, but burn injuries are progressive and dynamic and it’s hard to predict ultimately what the final outcome will be at this stage in the game,” the doctor told The Times.

Unsurprisingly, none of this has kept Leno’s spirits down.

“He’s Jay Leno. He’s walking around and cracking jokes. He’s incredibly kind to our nursing staff, he’s very compliant and very appreciative of everyone here and really an ideal patient and one who understands the seriousness of his injury,” Grossman told local news outlets according to The Times.

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He was even reportedly passing out cookies to children in the burn ward, Rolling Stone reports.

Leno was reportedly working on his 115-year-old White Steam Car when a gas leak and spark caused the fire on Saturday, November 12. His friend, who was in the garage at the time, was able to quickly put the fire out and save Leno from further injuries.