OK, in my vans usual MO of having problems close to home....

I was stopping for a light when I could of sworn I saw a puff of smoke as my
brakes completely failed.  Pedal all the way to the floor. Luckily I was
traveling up hill and stopped inches from bumper in front of me.  Luckily I
just had to do a U turn into a reputable foreign car service place which is
where it now sits.  The girl behind the counter, after I explained what
happened, actually asked "Do you want to leave it here or bring it back
Thursday?".

Anyway, my real question is why did the brakes fail completly? I see fluid
coming out near the firewall so why did I lose front brakes too? I thought
they had advanced since my '65 beetle and had 2 chamber master cylinders. Or
am I dreaming?

Thanks,
Bryan