This article examines the Hocapaşa fire of 1865 and consequent planning activities in Istanbul within the frame of disaster law, demonstrating the impact of fires on law and property relations with a focus on the development of legally controversial practices, such as the icarateyn system. It reveals the change that the Hocapaşa fire brought about in disaster law and the notions of waqf property and argues that the Hocapaşa fire created an actual setting in which the waqf property was made into state property with reference to ‘public interest.’