diff --git a/include/QF/ecs.h b/include/QF/ecs.h
index c5402daaa..e321f663e 100644
--- a/include/QF/ecs.h
+++ b/include/QF/ecs.h
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ typedef struct ecs_registry_s {
 	uint32_t    max_entities;
 	componentset_t components;
 	PR_RESMAP (hierarchy_t) hierarchies;//FIXME find a better way
+	int         locked;
 } ecs_registry_t;
 
 /** Tie an ECS system to a registry.
diff --git a/include/QF/ecs/hierarchy.h b/include/QF/ecs/hierarchy.h
index 6036a8f91..88e9c5665 100644
--- a/include/QF/ecs/hierarchy.h
+++ b/include/QF/ecs/hierarchy.h
@@ -77,6 +77,8 @@ void Hierarchy_RemoveHierarchy (hierarchy_t *hierarchy, uint32_t index,
 
 hierref_t Hierarchy_SetParent (hierarchy_t *dst, uint32_t dstParent,
 							   hierarchy_t *src, uint32_t srcIndex);
+void Hierref_DestroyComponent (void *href);
+
 ///@}
 
 #endif//__QF_ecs_hierarchy_h
diff --git a/libs/console/server.c b/libs/console/server.c
index fc7e90d12..8a464dda7 100644
--- a/libs/console/server.c
+++ b/libs/console/server.c
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ static const component_t server_components[server_comp_count] = {
 	[server_href] = {
 		.size = sizeof (hierref_t),
 		.name = "href",
+		.destroy = Hierref_DestroyComponent,
 	},
 	[server_view] = {
 		.size = sizeof (sv_view_t),
diff --git a/libs/ecs/ecs.c b/libs/ecs/ecs.c
index a53d83ae0..0a4afaa04 100644
--- a/libs/ecs/ecs.c
+++ b/libs/ecs/ecs.c
@@ -46,17 +46,26 @@ ECS_NewRegistry (void)
 VISIBLE void
 ECS_DelRegistry (ecs_registry_t *registry)
 {
+	registry->locked = 1;
+	for (uint32_t i = 0; i < registry->components.size; i++) {
+		__auto_type comp = &registry->components.a[i];
+		__auto_type pool = &registry->comp_pools[i];
+		Component_DestroyElements (comp, pool->data, 0, pool->count);
+	}
 	free (registry->entities);
 	for (uint32_t i = 0; i < registry->components.size; i++) {
 		free (registry->comp_pools[i].sparse);
 		free (registry->comp_pools[i].dense);
 		free (registry->comp_pools[i].data);
 
+		free (registry->subpools[i].sorted);
 		free (registry->subpools[i].ranges);
 		free (registry->subpools[i].rangeids);
 	}
+	DARRAY_CLEAR (&registry->components);
 	free (registry->subpools);
 	free (registry->comp_pools);
+	PR_RESDELMAP (registry->hierarchies);
 	free (registry);
 }
 
@@ -193,15 +202,20 @@ ECS_NewEntity (ecs_registry_t *registry)
 VISIBLE void
 ECS_DelEntity (ecs_registry_t *registry, uint32_t ent)
 {
+	if (registry->locked) {
+		// the registry is being deleted and mass entity and component
+		// deletions are going on
+		return;
+	}
 	uint32_t    next = registry->next | Ent_NextGen (Ent_Generation (ent));
 	uint32_t    id = Ent_Index (ent);
-	registry->entities[id] = next;
-	registry->next = id;
-	registry->available++;
 
 	for (uint32_t i = 0; i < registry->components.size; i++) {
 		Ent_RemoveComponent (ent, i, registry);
 	}
+	registry->entities[id] = next;
+	registry->next = id;
+	registry->available++;
 }
 
 VISIBLE void
diff --git a/libs/ecs/entity.c b/libs/ecs/entity.c
index a9c54a58f..5fb7a395b 100644
--- a/libs/ecs/entity.c
+++ b/libs/ecs/entity.c
@@ -117,6 +117,10 @@ Ent_RemoveComponent (uint32_t ent, uint32_t comp, ecs_registry_t *registry)
 	component_t *c = &registry->components.a[comp];
 	if (ind < pool->count && pool->dense[ind] == ent) {
 		uint32_t    last = pool->count - 1;
+		// invalidate the entity for this component to prevent the component
+		// being double-removed due to deletion of the component resulting
+		// in the entity being deleted (happens with hierarchies)
+		pool->dense[ind] = -1;
 		Component_DestroyElements (c, pool->data, ind, 1);
 		uint32_t    range_count = subpool->num_ranges - subpool->available;
 		// if ind >= the last range, then it is outside the subpools
diff --git a/libs/ecs/hierarchy.c b/libs/ecs/hierarchy.c
index 19b8079fc..58caca7ff 100644
--- a/libs/ecs/hierarchy.c
+++ b/libs/ecs/hierarchy.c
@@ -58,6 +58,21 @@ hierarchy_UpdateTransformIndices (hierarchy_t *hierarchy, uint32_t start,
 	}
 }
 
+static void
+hierarchy_InvalidateReferences (hierarchy_t *hierarchy, uint32_t start,
+								uint32_t count)
+{
+	ecs_registry_t *reg = hierarchy->reg;
+	uint32_t    href = hierarchy->href_comp;
+	for (size_t i = start; count-- > 0; i++) {
+		if (ECS_EntValid (hierarchy->ent[i], reg)) {
+			hierref_t  *ref = Ent_GetComponent (hierarchy->ent[i], href, reg);
+			ref->hierarchy = 0;
+			ref->index = -1;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 static void
 hierarchy_UpdateChildIndices (hierarchy_t *hierarchy, uint32_t start,
 							  int offset)
@@ -165,7 +180,7 @@ hierarchy_move (hierarchy_t *dst, const hierarchy_t *src,
 							src->ent, srcIndex, count);
 	// Actually move (as in C++ move semantics) source hierarchy object
 	// references so that their indices do not get updated when the objects
-	// are removed from the source hierarcy
+	// are removed from the source hierarchy
 	memset (&src->ent[srcIndex], nullent, count * sizeof(dst->ent[0]));
 
 	for (uint32_t i = 0; i < count; i++) {
@@ -325,6 +340,7 @@ hierarchy_remove_children (hierarchy_t *hierarchy, uint32_t index,
 		hierarchy_remove_children (hierarchy, childIndex + i, delEntities);
 	}
 	if (delEntities) {
+		hierarchy_InvalidateReferences (hierarchy, childIndex, childCount);
 		for (uint32_t i = 0; i < childCount; i++) {
 			ECS_DelEntity (hierarchy->reg, hierarchy->ent[childIndex + i]);
 		}
@@ -349,6 +365,7 @@ Hierarchy_RemoveHierarchy (hierarchy_t *hierarchy, uint32_t index,
 
 	hierarchy_remove_children (hierarchy, index, delEntities);
 	if (delEntities) {
+		hierarchy_InvalidateReferences (hierarchy, index, 1);
 		ECS_DelEntity (hierarchy->reg, hierarchy->ent[index]);
 	}
 	hierarchy_close (hierarchy, index, 1);
@@ -386,6 +403,7 @@ Hierarchy_New (ecs_registry_t *reg, uint32_t href_comp,
 void
 Hierarchy_Delete (hierarchy_t *hierarchy)
 {
+	hierarchy_InvalidateReferences (hierarchy, 0, hierarchy->num_objects);
 	free (hierarchy->ent);
 	free (hierarchy->childCount);
 	free (hierarchy->childIndex);
@@ -440,7 +458,7 @@ Hierarchy_SetParent (hierarchy_t *dst, uint32_t dstParent,
 	hierref_t   r = {};
 	if (dst && dstParent != nullent) {
 		if (dst->type != src->type) {
-			Sys_Error ("Can't set parent in hierarcy of different type");
+			Sys_Error ("Can't set parent in hierarchy of different type");
 		}
 	} else {
 		if (!srcRoot) {
@@ -458,3 +476,15 @@ Hierarchy_SetParent (hierarchy_t *dst, uint32_t dstParent,
 	}
 	return r;
 }
+
+void
+Hierref_DestroyComponent (void *href)
+{
+	hierref_t   ref = *(hierref_t *) href;
+	if (ref.hierarchy) {
+		Hierarchy_RemoveHierarchy (ref.hierarchy, ref.index, 1);
+		if (!ref.hierarchy->num_objects) {
+			Hierarchy_Delete (ref.hierarchy);
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/libs/ecs/test/test-hierarchy.c b/libs/ecs/test/test-hierarchy.c
index ad3aa28f3..3d9be814a 100644
--- a/libs/ecs/test/test-hierarchy.c
+++ b/libs/ecs/test/test-hierarchy.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ static const component_t test_components[] = {
 		.size = sizeof (hierref_t),
 		.create = 0,//create_href,
 		.name = "href",
+		.destroy = Hierref_DestroyComponent,
 	},
 	[test_name] = {
 		.size = sizeof (const char *),
diff --git a/libs/scene/scene.c b/libs/scene/scene.c
index 6704e7e48..d7cfa519f 100644
--- a/libs/scene/scene.c
+++ b/libs/scene/scene.c
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ static const component_t scene_components[scene_comp_count] = {
 		.size = sizeof (hierref_t),
 		.create = 0,//create_href,
 		.name = "href",
+		.destroy = Hierref_DestroyComponent,
 	},
 	[scene_animation] = {
 		.size = sizeof (animation_t),
diff --git a/libs/ui/passage.c b/libs/ui/passage.c
index 089823267..d3c374d80 100644
--- a/libs/ui/passage.c
+++ b/libs/ui/passage.c
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ const component_t passage_components[passage_comp_count] = {
 	[passage_href] = {
 		.size = sizeof (hierref_t),
 		.name = "passage href",
+		.destroy = Hierref_DestroyComponent,
 	},
 };
 
diff --git a/libs/ui/test/test-flow-size.c b/libs/ui/test/test-flow-size.c
index 40c133aa8..2c6bbf092 100644
--- a/libs/ui/test/test-flow-size.c
+++ b/libs/ui/test/test-flow-size.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ static const component_t test_components[] = {
 		.size = sizeof (hierref_t),
 		.create = 0,//create_href,
 		.name = "href",
+		.destroy = Hierref_DestroyComponent,
 	},
 };
 
diff --git a/libs/ui/test/test-flow.c b/libs/ui/test/test-flow.c
index e082447d8..bbcfdeba2 100644
--- a/libs/ui/test/test-flow.c
+++ b/libs/ui/test/test-flow.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ static const component_t test_components[] = {
 		.size = sizeof (hierref_t),
 		.create = 0,//create_href,
 		.name = "href",
+		.destroy = Hierref_DestroyComponent,
 	},
 };
 
diff --git a/libs/ui/view.c b/libs/ui/view.c
index 70b8d8326..337cb53f6 100644
--- a/libs/ui/view.c
+++ b/libs/ui/view.c
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ const component_t view_components[view_comp_count] = {
 	[view_href] = {
 		.size = sizeof (hierref_t),
 		.name = "view href",
+		.destroy = Hierref_DestroyComponent,
 	},
 };