Jay Leno took a break from his busy schedule to serve “real life heroes” a hot meal.
The 74-year-old former talk show host took to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 12 with tongs in hand to surprise firefighters with a meet and greet as they continue to contain the fires spreading across Los Angeles.
“Humbling seeing all the real life heroes today at the Rose Bowl, happy to serve them a hot meal,” Leno wrote in a caption on his “Jay Leno’s Garage” Instagram account.
“Our city will be put back together by all our efforts, so let’s start with helping our first responders,” Leno added.
Leno posed for photos with numerous firefighters, including several from Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue (TMFR) from Washoe County, Nevada.
In a post on X, TMFR — one of the many fire crews stationed at the Rose Bowl — called it an “uplifting experience.”
The Reedley Firefighter’s Association (RFA) from Reedley, California also thanked Leno for his visit.
“While at base camp, our boys had a wonderful photo opportunity to strike a pose with the one and only Jay Leno’s Garage,” the station wrote in a Facebook post Jan. 12.
The firefighters had been reassigned from the Hurst Fire to the Eaton Fire, which is burning near the Pasadena/Altadena area, says RFA.
In addition to the hot meal, Leno also showed up with his antique 1941 American LaFrance fire truck.
Jay Leno shares how he became the owner of an antique fire truck
In December, Jay Leno took Octane magazine for a ride in his antique 1941 fire truck.
The “Jay Leno’s Garage” host is known for his incredible collection of antique cars, but the fire truck is one of his most unique and talked about vehicles.
“When the truck had outlived its usefulness maybe 30 years ago, it was parked at the end of the runway at Burbank Airport as a kind of windbreak, to stop dirt and trash blowing across the runway,” he told the outlet.
“But then 9/11 happened, and you weren’t allowed to have anything near a runway that people could hide behind,” he added.
It wasn’t until Leno saw the fire truck being hitched to a tow truck that he decided to step in.
After asking where the truck was being towed to, the tow truck operator told him it was going to the scrapyard.
“I’ll pay you double whatever the scrap value is,” Leno said — adding that he paid “a couple of hundred bucks” for the truck. “And it only had 11,000 miles on it!”
In the interview, Leno described the truck as having a “754ci (12.3-litre) 265bhp V12 petrol engine,” which he says was the most powerful engine made in America at the time.
The truck was initially owned by Warner Brothers for use on its studio lot, but was later passed to the City of Burbank before being donated to the airport.
But now it’s in Leno’s garage.
“It’s the most practical vehicle I own!” he told Octane in December.
“If we take it out and see a motorcyclist stuck at the side of the road, we’ll put the bike on and give them a ride home. It’s a real thrill,” he explains.
Leno also joked that the fire truck’s bench seats make it the perfect “party bus.”