Police waited almost three hours before calling for medical help at the scene where a man was found dead at home.
Officers were called to a house at Balmoral Avenue, Crosland Moor, on Monday afternoon in response to a “concern for safety call.”
On their arrival some households nearby were evacuated amid fears of danger from gas.
It has not been clarified if their concern was for an explosion or because of possible poisoning.
Police have also not revealed if was the smell of gas that raised the alarm or if canisters were spotted inside the premises.
But amid complaints that it took several hours for an ambulance to be dispatched they have revealed that the victim had been deceased for some time before they arrived.
The clarification comes after it was confirmed that medics arrived three hours after the police.
Police confirmed on Monday that they were called at 12.15pm and today the Yorkshire Ambulance Service has confirmed it was not called until 3.08pm, arriving at 3.16pm.
A local resident, who does not want to be named, said they were upset as they felt the victim could have been saved if medics had been dispatched immediately.
But West Yorkshire Police has now given more information about the sequence of events.
A statement suggests they decided to wait for the property to be declared safe before entering and finding the man.
Det Insp Mark Atkinson, said: “The victim had been deceased at the location for some time prior to the arrival of the police and other emergency services.
“An assessment of the circumstances was conducted during both the initial call and subsequently on arrival at the address.
“This involved liaison with specialist services to determine the full nature of the incident.
“During this process we were able to evaluate any risk and nearby homes were evacuated only as a precautionary measure.”
Residents reported that the incident was attended by two fire engines, two ambulances, two police vans and specialists in dealing with hazardous materials.
The name and age of the deceased man has not been disclosed.
