diff --git a/bgpd/bgp_zebra.c b/bgpd/bgp_zebra.c
index bee1a94..d0b9216 100644
--- a/bgpd/bgp_zebra.c
+++ b/bgpd/bgp_zebra.c
@@ -238,6 +238,7 @@
   struct zapi_ipv4 api;
   struct in_addr nexthop;
   struct prefix_ipv4 p;
+  unsigned char plength = 0;
 
   s = zclient->ibuf;
   nexthop.s_addr = 0;
@@ -250,7 +251,8 @@
   /* IPv4 prefix. */
   memset (&p, 0, sizeof (struct prefix_ipv4));
   p.family = AF_INET;
-  p.prefixlen = MIN(IPV4_MAX_PREFIXLEN, stream_getc (s));
+  plength = stream_getc (s);
+  p.prefixlen = MIN(IPV4_MAX_PREFIXLEN, plength);
   stream_get (&p.prefix, s, PSIZE (p.prefixlen));
 
   /* Nexthop, ifindex, distance, metric. */
@@ -314,6 +316,7 @@
   struct zapi_ipv6 api;
   struct in6_addr nexthop;
   struct prefix_ipv6 p;
+  unsigned char plength = 0;
 
   s = zclient->ibuf;
   memset (&nexthop, 0, sizeof (struct in6_addr));
@@ -326,7 +329,8 @@
   /* IPv6 prefix. */
   memset (&p, 0, sizeof (struct prefix_ipv6));
   p.family = AF_INET6;
-  p.prefixlen = MIN(IPV6_MAX_PREFIXLEN, stream_getc (s));
+  plength = stream_getc (s);
+  p.prefixlen = MIN(IPV6_MAX_PREFIXLEN, plength);
   stream_get (&p.prefix, s, PSIZE (p.prefixlen));
 
   /* Nexthop, ifindex, distance, metric. */