There is optimism at Blair, Pasadena and Muir high schools that sports will resume next week after being shut down since the devastating Eaton fire began Jan. 7.

All schools in the Pasadena Unified School District have been closed during this period for health and safety reasons. The district has also been gathering information about families, students and teachers who have been displaced from their homes.

The Pasadena, Muir and Blair campuses do not have any extensive fire damage but had to go through cleanup steps. The schools also have to pass safety inspections before students are allowed to return.

During a press conference Thursday, PUSD officials sounded hopeful that some schools might have students return to campus late next week, and said it was hopeful that all of its students would be back in class by the end of the month.

What does this mean for sports at Blair, Pasadena and Muir? School officials have been told that sports can resume when school resumes, so athletic directors have been working on revised schedules. The three schools have plans for games to resume next week if allowed by the PUSD.

The PUSD has not responded to the Southern California News Group’s request for comment on the situation.

Muir athletic director Alfredo Resendiz said when sports resume, all of Muir’s contests will likely be away games, which is expected for Pasadena as well.

“There is optimism we can resume,” Resendiz said. “We made these skeleton schedules with the hope we can return next week. Nothing is for sure, but we want to be prepared should we get the go-ahead. I was at a board meeting last night (Wednesday) and the feeling among people there is that we’re close. So, we just want to be prepared.”

The first scheduled contest on the revised schedule would be Muir taking on Pasadena in girls water polo at Arcadia High on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

On Thursday, Pasadena’s boys basketball team is scheduled to play at Burbank with Muir at Hoover.

Boys and girls soccer teams would also resume play Wednesday.

Blair athletic director Kyla Berman said she has been in contact with Rio Hondo League officials over revised schedules. There is hope the Vikings can play their first athletic contests since the fires on Friday, Jan. 24.

“I hope so, we want to return the kids back to some normalcy,” Berman said of returning to sports. “Kids want to be with each other and their teammates. I also don’t want to sound insensitive, it’s a balancing act. My heart goes out to everyone going through these horrific things. But for the kids’ mental health, they just need to be around each other again.”

If given clearance, Blair’s boys basketball team would play its first Rio Hondo League game against South Pasadena on Friday.

“It’s been a long time and our guys are ready,” Blair boys basketball coach Devon Richardson said.