diff --git a/engine/gl/gl_model.c b/engine/gl/gl_model.c
index f7fe65168..967032581 100644
--- a/engine/gl/gl_model.c
+++ b/engine/gl/gl_model.c
@@ -1115,6 +1115,7 @@ static void Mod_LoadModelWorker (void *ctx, void *data, size_t a, size_t b)
 // load the file
 //
 	mod->maxlod = 0;
+	mod->lightmaps.first = 0;
 	// set necessary engine flags for loading purposes
 	if (!strcmp(mod->publicname, "progs/player.mdl"))
 		mod->engineflags |= MDLF_PLAYER | MDLF_DOCRC;