By JACK NICHOLL

jnicholl@dailynews.net

KIRWIN - The support keeps coming for the two Kirwin firefighters who were critically injured in a semitrailer explosion July 13.

L&E Cafe in Kirwin sponsored a benefit from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday night, with all proceeds going to the families of Chester Peak and Rex Lowe.

Peak and Lowe, along with four other volunteer firefighters, were injured while responding to a fire at the Kirwin water tower. The semi trailer caught fire and exploded. Peak and Lowe were both were airlifted to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Neb.

Peak, who suffered a head injury, has since been transported to the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Neb.

"It will be a slow healing process," said Michelle Peak, Chester Peak's sister-in-law, at the benefit Wednesday. "He will be at Madonna for at least 10 weeks, and then he may have to go to a transition house for additional therapy."

Michelle Peak said Chester is currently in a state in which he does not recognize family members, and the doctor said Chester could recover mentally to 95 percent of what he was before the injury.

Because of the nature of head injuries, Michelle Peak said Madonna has been reluctant to make predictions on how Chester Peak could recover.

Meanwhile, Lowe has been released from the hospital. He suffered a back injury, and the official report said he had 12 to 18 inches of incisions on his back.

Lowe has 28 stitches on the outside of his back, but several layers of stitches on the inside. Lowe said he was walking away from the semitrailer when the blast occurred.

"I'm still going to be out for four more weeks," Lowe said.

Lowe said he also suffered perforated eardrums because of the blast, which will take three months to heal.

The other four firefighters who were at the scene have recovered from any injuries that occurred from the explosion.

The explosion, which is believed to have been caused by acetylene gas welding cylinders and flammable liquids inside the truck, also destroyed two Kirwin fire trucks that were near the water tower.

However, other than being down two volunteer firefighters -- about a dozen participate from the population of about 200 in Kirwin -- firefighter Larry Stones said it is business as usual.

"As long as we don't have anything major, I guess we're doing really good," Stones said.

Phillipsburg, which is about 20 minutes away from Kirwin, had given the fire department a truck to help out, Stones said, and Phillipsburg and Agra have responded to every call.

Also, the Plainville Fire Department had a barbeque fundraiser July 17 to help the Kirwin fire department and families involved.

"They're working pretty hard to replace the trucks and they're getting some grants written out there and the insurance is working with them too," Lowe said.