Ricardo Fuller was sent off deep into stoppage time but Preston could launch an appeal to prevent their top scorer getting a four-match ban.
Fuller, booked in the first half, was given a straight red card after throwing out an arm at Burnley winger Glen Little.
It was a controversial climax to a bad-tempered match in which referee David Pugh also showed seven yellow cards.
There was plenty of debate too over Preston's equaliser, awarded earlier in the second half when Mr Pugh thought Fuller had been brought down by Mo Camara.
Graham Alexander scored the resulting spot-kick to cancel out Robbie Blake's first-half opener for Burnley.
Blake helped himself to his 16th league goal of the season, a simple tap-in after Little had taken full advantage of a mistake by Lilywhites' skipper Chris Lucketti.
Burnley were the better side in the first half with Blake and Little a constant threat, but promotion-chasing Preston came back strongly and after the equaliser Fuller and Richard Cresswell wasted five chances to win it.
Preston boss Craig Brown Fuller had been unfortunate, claiming: "The ref said he was sent off because he threw a punch, but it was a punch no one else saw and Ricardo said he did not punch as he is a man of integrity." Burnley boss Stan Ternent refused to comment on the incident but was most upset by the penalty award he felt should never have been.