In a jaw-dropping exclusive with 18-month-old local legend Emma “Giggles” Thompson, the tiny tot channeled the spirit of viral sensation Sweet Brown to recount her wild misadventure when she mistook a raging fire in the Sunny Acres apartment complex for what she thought was “somebody barbecuin’ some ribs, honey!”

The drama went down yesterday afternoon in sleepy Springfield, where a three-alarm blaze lit up the apartment building like a bad Fourth of July sparkler. While firefighters wrestled the flames and residents scrambled for safety, little Emma, chilling in her stroller with a sippy cup, was convinced the thick smoke and orange glow meant a neighborhood cookout was poppin’ off.

“Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Emma babbled to reporters, clutching her juice box like a microphone. “I smelled that smoke, and I was like, ‘Oh Lord Jesus, it’s a fire!’ But then I thought, naw, that’s just some good ol’ BBQ, baby! Where my ribs at?”

Witnesses say Emma’s mom, Karen Thompson, was in full panic mode, pushing the stroller like it was the Indy 500, while Emma waved at the firefighters, assuming they were pitmasters in shiny hats. “She kept pointing at the flames, yelling, ‘Well, I got bronchitis!’” Karen said, still frazzled. “I’m like, ‘Emma, this ain’t no cookout!’ but she was ready to grab a plate.”

The confusion wasn’t totally off-base. Locals note the fire’s smoky vibe was suspiciously similar to Springfield’s RibFest, where charred meats and sketchy grills are a way of life. “I feel her,” said Fire Chief Dan Rodriguez. “Kid thought it was a block party. But when the flames are taller than your house, it ain’t time for no hot wings.”

Emma’s moment of clarity hit when she clocked the lack of BBQ essentials. “I ran out of my juice, and I was like, ‘Oh Lord Jesus, it’s a fire!’” she recounted, her tiny fists waving. “No ribs, no coleslaw, no sweet tea? Ain’t nobody got time for that mess!”

As firefighters tamed the blaze, Emma’s quick pivot to demand a detour by the ice cream truck for a “survival popsicle” made her a hero among her daycare crew. “She’s iconic,” said 2-year-old neighbor Timmy. “Smelled a fire, thought ‘BBQ.’ That’s the dream.”

Springfield officials are eyeing Emma for a spot in the fire department’s outreach program, praising her “Sweet Brown-level chill in a crisis.” Emma, unfazed, summed it up: “Cold pop good, fire bad. Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

The Sunny Acres fire left no injuries but displaced several families. A fundraiser is underway, with Emma pledging her favorite rattle to the cause. “It’s what you do when the BBQ’s a bust,” she said, toddling off to sniff out a real cookout.

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