diff --git a/block/blk-flush.c b/block/blk-flush.c
index 7ee7e5e..040d9ad 100644
--- a/block/blk-flush.c
+++ b/block/blk-flush.c
@@ -330,6 +330,14 @@ static void blk_kick_flush(struct request_queue *q, struct blk_flush_queue *fq,
 	flush_rq->rq_flags |= RQF_FLUSH_SEQ;
 	flush_rq->rq_disk = first_rq->rq_disk;
 	flush_rq->end_io = flush_end_io;
+	/*
+	 * Order WRITE ->end_io and WRITE rq->ref, and its pair is the one
+	 * implied in refcount_inc_not_zero() called from
+	 * blk_mq_find_and_get_req(), which orders WRITE/READ flush_rq->ref
+	 * and READ flush_rq->end_io
+	 */
+	smp_wmb();
+	refcount_set(&flush_rq->ref, 1);
 
 	blk_flush_queue_rq(flush_rq, false);
 }