diff --git a/common/src/main/java/dev/ryanhcode/sable/physics/callback/FragileBlockCallback.java b/common/src/main/java/dev/ryanhcode/sable/physics/callback/FragileBlockCallback.java
index 3cf124ef8..650e63922 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/dev/ryanhcode/sable/physics/callback/FragileBlockCallback.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/dev/ryanhcode/sable/physics/callback/FragileBlockCallback.java
@@ -52,6 +52,26 @@ public boolean shouldTriggerFor(final BlockState state) {
     }
 
     public CollisionResult onHit(final ServerLevel level, final BlockPos pos, final BlockState state, final Vector3d hitPos) {
+        if (SubLevelPhysicsSystem.IN_PHYSICS_STEP) {
+            // Breaking the block here would run its neighbour updates inside the native physics step, which can call back
+            // into Rapier (e.g. building a collider for a block state it hasn't seen yet) and hang the server thread.
+            // Queue the break until the step has finished instead.
+            SubLevelPhysicsSystem.getCurrentlySteppingSystem().queueFragileBlockBreak(pos, state);
+        } else {
+            breakFragileBlock(level, pos, state);
+        }
+
+        return new CollisionResult(JOMLConversion.ZERO, true);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Breaks a fragile block, melting ice on destruction
+     *
+     * @param level the level the block is in
+     * @param pos the position of the block
+     * @param state the state of the block being broken
+     */
+    public static void breakFragileBlock(final ServerLevel level, final BlockPos pos, final BlockState state) {
         level.destroyBlock(pos, true);
 
         // Melt ice on destruction
@@ -62,7 +82,5 @@ public CollisionResult onHit(final ServerLevel level, final BlockPos pos, final
                 level.setBlockAndUpdate(pos, IceBlock.meltsInto());
             }
         }
-
-        return new CollisionResult(JOMLConversion.ZERO, true);
     }
 }
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/dev/ryanhcode/sable/sublevel/system/SubLevelPhysicsSystem.java b/common/src/main/java/dev/ryanhcode/sable/sublevel/system/SubLevelPhysicsSystem.java
index d4e68feef..a22d69b52 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/dev/ryanhcode/sable/sublevel/system/SubLevelPhysicsSystem.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/dev/ryanhcode/sable/sublevel/system/SubLevelPhysicsSystem.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.companion.math.Pose3d;
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.mixinterface.plot.SubLevelContainerHolder;
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.mixinterface.toast.SableToastableServer;
+import dev.ryanhcode.sable.physics.callback.FragileBlockCallback;
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.physics.config.PhysicsConfigData;
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.physics.config.block_properties.PhysicsBlockPropertyHelper;
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.physics.config.dimension_physics.DimensionPhysicsData;
@@ -27,6 +28,8 @@
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.sublevel.plot.ServerLevelPlot;
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.sublevel.storage.SubLevelRemovalReason;
 import dev.ryanhcode.sable.sublevel.system.ticket.PhysicsChunkTicketManager;
+import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.longs.Long2ObjectLinkedOpenHashMap;
+import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.longs.Long2ObjectMap;
 import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.objects.Object2IntMap;
 import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.objects.Object2IntOpenHashMap;
 import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.objects.ObjectIterator;
@@ -118,6 +121,11 @@ public class SubLevelPhysicsSystem implements SubLevelObserver {
      */
     private final Collection<ArbitraryPhysicsObject> queuedWakeUps = new ReferenceOpenHashSet<>();
 
+    /**
+     * Fragile block breaks queued during the physics step, keyed by block position
+     */
+    private final Long2ObjectLinkedOpenHashMap<BlockState> queuedFragileBlockBreaks = new Long2ObjectLinkedOpenHashMap<>();
+
     /**
      * Creates a new physics system.
      */
@@ -278,6 +286,7 @@ private void tickPipelinePhysics(final ServerSubLevelContainer container) {
             IN_PHYSICS_STEP = true;
             this.pipeline.physicsTick(substepTimeStep);
             IN_PHYSICS_STEP = false;
+            this.breakQueuedFragileBlocks();
 
             // if any blocks were modified due to, say, fragile blocks breaking
             // sub-levels could have been removed during the physics tick
@@ -514,6 +523,35 @@ public void wakeUpObjectsAt(final int x, final int y, final int z) {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Queues a fragile block to be broken once the current physics step has finished
+     *
+     * @param pos   the position of the block
+     * @param state the state of the block when it was hit
+     */
+    public void queueFragileBlockBreak(final BlockPos pos, final BlockState state) {
+        this.queuedFragileBlockBreaks.putIfAbsent(pos.asLong(), state);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Breaks the fragile blocks queued during the physics step
+     */
+    private void breakQueuedFragileBlocks() {
+        if (this.queuedFragileBlockBreaks.isEmpty())
+            return;
+
+        for (final Long2ObjectMap.Entry<BlockState> entry : this.queuedFragileBlockBreaks.long2ObjectEntrySet()) {
+            final BlockPos pos = BlockPos.of(entry.getLongKey());
+
+            // the block could have been changed since it was hit, e.g. by an earlier break
+            if (this.level.getBlockState(pos) == entry.getValue()) {
+                FragileBlockCallback.breakFragileBlock(this.level, pos, entry.getValue());
+            }
+        }
+
+        this.queuedFragileBlockBreaks.clear();
+    }
+
     public void updateMassDataFromBlockChange(final SubLevel subLevel, final BlockPos globalBlockPos, final BlockState oldState, final BlockState newState, final boolean notifyPipeline) {
         if ((subLevel instanceof final ServerSubLevel serverSubLevel)) {