diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2BlockDecompressor.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2BlockDecompressor.java
index 9b8ff3f04c..801900c487 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2BlockDecompressor.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2BlockDecompressor.java
@@ -228,6 +228,11 @@ final class Bzip2BlockDecompressor {
                 bwtBlock[bwtBlockLength++] = nextByte;
             }
         }
+        if (bwtBlockLength > MAX_BLOCK_LENGTH) {
+            throw new DecompressionException("block length exceeds max block length: "
+                    + bwtBlockLength + " > " + MAX_BLOCK_LENGTH);
+        }
+
         this.bwtBlockLength = bwtBlockLength;
         initialiseInverseBWT();
         return true;
diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2Constants.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2Constants.java
index ba8fee54d3..087f45faa0 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2Constants.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2Constants.java
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ final class Bzip2Constants {
     static final int MIN_BLOCK_SIZE = 1;
     static final int MAX_BLOCK_SIZE = 9;
 
+    static final int MAX_BLOCK_LENGTH = MAX_BLOCK_SIZE * BASE_BLOCK_SIZE;
+
     /**
      * Maximum possible Huffman alphabet size.
      */
diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2Decoder.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2Decoder.java
index f3b54fd6ab..f28bad932b 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2Decoder.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/compression/Bzip2Decoder.java
@@ -289,26 +289,27 @@ public class Bzip2Decoder extends ByteToMessageDecoder {
                 }
 
                 final int blockLength = blockDecompressor.blockLength();
-                final ByteBuf uncompressed = ctx.alloc().buffer(blockLength);
-                boolean success = false;
+                ByteBuf uncompressed = ctx.alloc().buffer(blockLength);
                 try {
                     int uncByte;
                     while ((uncByte = blockDecompressor.read()) >= 0) {
                         uncompressed.writeByte(uncByte);
                     }
-
+                    // We did read all the data, lets reset the state and do the CRC check.
+                    currentState = State.INIT_BLOCK;
                     int currentBlockCRC = blockDecompressor.checkCRC();
                     streamCRC = (streamCRC << 1 | streamCRC >>> 31) ^ currentBlockCRC;
 
                     ctx.fireChannelRead(uncompressed);
-                    success = true;
+                    uncompressed = null;
                 } finally {
-                    if (!success) {
+                    if (uncompressed != null) {
                         uncompressed.release();
                     }
                 }
-                currentState = State.INIT_BLOCK;
-                break;
+                // Return here so the ByteBuf that was put in the List will be forwarded to the user and so can be
+                // released as soon as possible.
+                return;
             case EOF:
                 in.skipBytes(in.readableBytes());
                 return;