A FAMILY friend of the Passey family was caught up in a huge fire while on a trip to Liverpool to seek justice for the 24-year-old who was killed at a Stourbridge nightspot.

Jason Connon was staying at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool city centre when he woke to find his room filled with smoke in the early hours of yesterday (Monday October 4).

The 48-year-old initially thought the hotel was on fire - but realised the smoke was coming from a huge blaze at a building opposite.

Jason was in Liverpool with members of Ryan's family for a hearing at Liverpool County Court in their civil case against Ryan's killer Kobe Murray.

More than 60 firefighters worked for more than five hours to get the fire under control.

A 22-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of arson.

Jason, who is married with two sons and is a spokesman for the Passey's family's campaign for justice, said: "I woke up after 1.30am and I was breathing in smoke.

"The hotel room was filled with smoke - I thought 'oh God the hotel is on fire'.

"But it was a building opposite.

"I had to evacuate the room.

"I had to be moved to a new room.

"I didn't get back to sleep until 4.30am so it was a bit of an eventful night. It was quite a major fire."

Stourbridge News:

Pictured: Adrian Passey, Jason Connon and Russ Whitfield, and Ryan Passey, right.

Jason said Ryan's dad Adrian was staying on the opposite side of the hotel and totally missed all the drama.

Businessman Jason, from Cushillo Personnel Ltd in Stourbridge, said: "He said he heard an alarm but just went back to sleep!"

The fire began in an empty four-storey building on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Brownlow Hill opposite the Adelphi hotel.