diff --git a/changes/bug5916 b/changes/bug5916
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0b2ea5df445a70abb2730bf4cf9aa7a9a89cf163
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug5916
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes:
+    - Fix a memory leak when trying to launch a DNS request when the
+      network is disabled or the nameservers are unconfigurable.  Fix
+      for bug 5916; bugfix on Tor 0.1.2.1-alpha (for the
+      unconfigurable namesrever case) and on 0.2.3.9-alpha (for the
+      DisableNetwork case).
diff --git a/src/or/dns.c b/src/or/dns.c
index 2b7d3e3506e24ea2d6d8482f7aca5f8a66977b84..b349f02f685b7c8e77196155b919ec167262ff57 100644
--- a/src/or/dns.c
+++ b/src/or/dns.c
@@ -1389,7 +1389,7 @@ evdns_callback(int result, char type, int count, int ttl, void *addresses,
 static int
 launch_resolve(edge_connection_t *exitconn)
 {
-  char *addr = tor_strdup(exitconn->_base.address);
+  char *addr;
   struct evdns_request *req = NULL;
   tor_addr_t a;
   int r;
@@ -1408,6 +1408,8 @@ launch_resolve(edge_connection_t *exitconn)
     }
   }
 
+  addr = tor_strdup(exitconn->_base.address);
+
   r = tor_addr_parse_PTR_name(
                             &a, exitconn->_base.address, AF_UNSPEC, 0);