ROCHESTER - A 22-year-old woman was charged Thursday almost two years after she allegedly set fire to Peace United Church, causing nearly $4.5 million in damages.

Sesen Tesfay faces felony arson, burglary and damage to property charges in the fire, which took place in the early morning the day after Easter 2022. Her first court appearance is set for Feb. 29.

Flames spread through the church's lower level shortly after 2 a.m. April 18, just two hours after a day of Easter celebrations ended. The church's fire safety doors and sprinkler system contained much of the blaze, but most of the building's north side was damaged by smoke and covered with soot.

That area had to be gutted, and the floors and ceilings needed replacing and repainting.

Court records show Rochester police found a half-gallon jug of hand sanitizer in a nearby dumpster after the fire was under control; about a fourth of the jug was left without its cap. They also found someone had used a landscaping rock to break into one of the church's offices and took two computer monitors.

Police, fire marshal and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigators determined the hand sanitizer was used to start and spread the fire. Law enforcement found Tesfay's cell phone was in the area around the time the fire was set, according to charges.

Police found the two computer monitors as well as totes taken from the church inside Tesfay's house during a June 2022 search, and DNA and her fingerprints matched those found at the scene, charges said.

Rochester Police Department spokeswoman Amanda Grayson said it took months to charge Tesfay because several local, state and federal agencies were involved in gathering evidence.

"Multiagency investigations can take a long time," she said in an email.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions sent a forensic lab report to Rochester police in October, and police recommended charges against Tesfay in November.

After the fire, church members said they were devastated by the extent of the damage. A preschool program had to change churches and food bank items, Easter supplies and instruments were ruined.

Yet it only took four days after the fire for congregants to worship in the church once more.

"It was so powerful to be able to come back into this place," The Rev. Paul Bauch said in May 2022. "When we came back on that Sunday after the fire, it was like new life. We're in the resurrection spirit, and I truly just felt like this restoration was beginning right away."

Bauch did not return calls for comment Friday.