diff --git a/docs/API.md b/docs/API.md
index 9e6ce78..5c04750 100644
--- a/docs/API.md
+++ b/docs/API.md
@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ This enum lists all supported file types:
 
 `MTAR_HARDLINK`: Hard links
 
+`MTAR_FIFO`: FIFO special files
+
 Other file types supported in tar archives, such as block/character devices or FIFOs, are not supported and minitar will throw an error when encountering one of them. This behavior can be controlled by passing `-DMINITAR_IGNORE_UNSUPPORTED_TYPES=ON` to CMake when configuring, which will make minitar silently ignore such entries instead of panicking.
 
 ### minitar_entry_metadata
diff --git a/examples/untar.c b/examples/untar.c
index 67c0c86..fa236d0 100644
--- a/examples/untar.c
+++ b/examples/untar.c
@@ -110,6 +110,18 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
 
                 printf("link %s -> %s\n", entry.metadata.path, entry.metadata.link);
             }
+            else if (entry.metadata.type == MTAR_FIFO)
+            {
+                int status = mknod(entry.metadata.path, entry.metadata.mode | S_IFIFO, 0);
+
+                if (status != 0)
+                {
+                    fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create FIFO %s: %s\n", entry.metadata.path, strerror(errno));
+                    break;
+                }
+
+                printf("fifo %s\n", entry.metadata.path);
+            }
         }
         else
             break;
diff --git a/minitar.h b/minitar.h
index 455725e..ec78925 100644
--- a/minitar.h
+++ b/minitar.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ enum minitar_file_type
     MTAR_DIRECTORY,
     MTAR_SYMLINK,
     MTAR_HARDLINK,
+    MTAR_FIFO,
 };
 
 struct minitar_entry_internal
diff --git a/src/util.c b/src/util.c
index cea552f..bcf358e 100644
--- a/src/util.c
+++ b/src/util.c
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ void minitar_parse_metadata_from_tar_header(const struct tar_header* hdr, struct
     case '3': minitar_handle_panic("Character devices are unsupported");
     case '4': minitar_handle_panic("Block devices are unsupported");
     case '5': metadata->type = MTAR_DIRECTORY; break;
-    case '6': minitar_handle_panic("FIFOs are unsupported");
+    case '6': metadata->type = MTAR_FIFO; break;
     // This case should have been previously handled by minitar_validate_header().
     default: minitar_handle_panic("Unknown entry type in tar header");
     }