Jay Leno recalls the moment his 'face caught on fire'

Jay Leno has recalled the moment his "face caught on fire" in his first TV interview about the horrifying incident.

In a preview clip from his interview on Today, the comedian explained how he ended up with significant burns to his face, chest and hands in November.

Jay was working underneath a car in his garage on 12 November when a fault caused him to be sprayed with gas, which ignited.

"It was a 1907 White Steam car. The fuel line was clogged, so I was underneath it," Jay told Today host Hoda Kotb. "I said, 'Blow some air through the line,' and suddenly, boom, I got a face full of gas. And then the pilot light jumped and my face caught on fire."

The comic said his friend Dave Killackey came to his rescue.

"I said, '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," he remembered.

The 72-year-old spent 10 days in the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles receiving treatment for the deep second-degree and some third-degree burns he sustained in the incident. He underwent at least two surgical procedures and spent time in a hyperbaric chamber, an oxygen therapy that can help wounds heal.

The funnyman wasted no time in getting back to performing and returned to his usual Sunday stand-up slot at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California several days after he was discharged from the facility.

The full interview will be broadcast on America's Today show on Wednesday.