diff --git a/components/nifogre/ogrenifloader.cpp b/components/nifogre/ogrenifloader.cpp
index b55248784..9c5f4a016 100644
--- a/components/nifogre/ogrenifloader.cpp
+++ b/components/nifogre/ogrenifloader.cpp
@@ -973,7 +973,10 @@ class NIFObjectLoader
             {
                 const Nif::NiParticleSystemController *partctrl = static_cast<const Nif::NiParticleSystemController*>(ctrl.getPtr());
 
-                partsys->setDefaultDimensions(partctrl->size*2, partctrl->size*2);
+                float size = partctrl->size*2;
+                // HACK: don't allow zero-sized particles which can rarely cause an AABB assertion in Ogre to fail
+                size = std::max(size, 0.00001f);
+                partsys->setDefaultDimensions(size, size);
 
                 if(!partctrl->emitter.empty())
                 {
diff --git a/components/nifogre/particles.cpp b/components/nifogre/particles.cpp
index 316e4edc2..4fec2d29e 100644
--- a/components/nifogre/particles.cpp
+++ b/components/nifogre/particles.cpp
@@ -452,6 +452,8 @@ public:
         {
             Ogre::Real scale = (life_time-particle_time) / mGrowTime;
             assert (scale >= 0);
+            // HACK: don't allow zero-sized particles which can rarely cause an AABB assertion in Ogre to fail
+            scale = std::max(scale, 0.00001f);
             width *= scale;
             height *= scale;
         }
@@ -459,6 +461,8 @@ public:
         {
             Ogre::Real scale = particle_time / mFadeTime;
             assert (scale >= 0);
+            // HACK: don't allow zero-sized particles which can rarely cause an AABB assertion in Ogre to fail
+            scale = std::max(scale, 0.00001f);
             width *= scale;
             height *= scale;
         }
@@ -485,6 +489,8 @@ public:
             {
                 Ogre::Real scale = (life_time-particle_time) / mGrowTime;
                 assert (scale >= 0);
+                // HACK: don't allow zero-sized particles which can rarely cause an AABB assertion in Ogre to fail
+                scale = std::max(scale, 0.00001f);
                 width *= scale;
                 height *= scale;
             }
@@ -492,6 +498,8 @@ public:
             {
                 Ogre::Real scale = particle_time / mFadeTime;
                 assert (scale >= 0);
+                // HACK: don't allow zero-sized particles which can rarely cause an AABB assertion in Ogre to fail
+                scale = std::max(scale, 0.00001f);
                 width *= scale;
                 height *= scale;
             }