BAGHDAD, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A huge fire engulfed the building of the Iraqi Ministry of Health in central Baghdad on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source said.

    Firefighters are battling the huge fire which started around 1:00 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) at the sixth story of the 11-story building in Bab al-Muadham area, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    Dozens of the ministry's employees have been stranded in the upper stories, but Iraqi civil defense managed to evacuate them, the source said.

    There is no immediate confirmation about burns or deaths and only 18 people were hospitalized for being chocked by the heavy smoke, the source said.

    He said preliminary police investigation believes the fire might be the result of an electric short-circuit.