Oil prices hit fresh records on Friday, climbing close to $45 after a fire at a big U.S. refinery and a renewed threat to Russian oil major underlined the strain on world supplies. U.S. light crude struck $44.77 a barrel, 36 cents up from Tuesday's settlement and the highest in the 21-year history of crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange. London's Brent crude hit $41.50 a barrel, a record for the contract since it started trading in 1988 on the International Petroleum Exchange. Oil has rallied more than 30 percent this year as rapid demand growth, especially in the United States and China, leaves little leeway for any supply disruption. Consumption is accelerating at the fastest pace in more than 20 years. The latest in a string of rallies this week came after a fire shut a gasoline-producing unit at BP Plc's 470,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Texas, the third-biggest plant in the United States. The flash fire was quickly extinguished. Gains were reinforced after a financial source said that Russian oil major YUKOS had no money in its bank accounts after bailiffs seized $900 million on Thursday to cover the firm's back tax bill. YUKOS, which pumps 1.7 million bpd, or two percent of world supplies, is battling bankruptcy from a multi-billion dollar tax debt, threatening its ability to continue exports. --More 1325 Local Time 1025 GMT
